As a two-week “fragile” ceasefire between the US and Iran draws to a close, with a potential resumption of hostilities in the Middle East, Pakistan now finds itself in an increasingly desperate diplomatic corner.
This comes as Iran has yet to confirm its participation in the much-anticipated second round of peace talks with Washington in Islamabad, a move that has raised concerns among Pakistani officials. Islamabad has tried to position itself as the main broker to broker a peace deal between the US and Iran, which was put on hold for two weeks after a cease-fire took effect on April 8.
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Iran has not yet confirmed participation in the talks in Islamabad
Now, with no clear signal from Tehran and the closing of the ceasefire window, Pakistan’s leadership is scrambling to keep the diplomatic initiative alive while trying to avoid being completely sidelined. Pakistan’s Information and Broadcasting Minister Attaullah Tarar revealed the lack of progress in a post on X, writing: “A formal response from the Iranian side is still awaited to confirm the delegation to participate in the peace talks in Islamabad.”
Further complicating the situation is a lack of coordination on when the ceasefire might end. While Tarar said in his post that the ceasefire would end at 4:50 am (Pakistan time) on April 22, US President Donald Trump gave a different timeline, saying the two-week ceasefire would end “Wednesday evening Washington time”.
According to ANI, the discrepancy points to the chaotic nature of the negotiations as Islamabad struggles to maintain a consistent narrative between the two global adversaries.
Pakistan tries to convince Iran: Tarar
In his post, Tarar said, “Pakistan as a mediator is in constant contact with the Iranians and follows the path of diplomacy and dialogue.” He further said, “Pakistan has made sincere efforts to convince the Iranian leadership to participate in the second round of talks and these efforts are continuing.”
He also noted that Tehran’s decision to participate in talks before the end of the two-week ceasefire remains critical.
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Is Iran backing out of peace talks?
According to a CNN report, Iranian lawmaker Ahmad Naderi said no Iranian delegation had traveled to Pakistan for talks and ruled out immediate talks. The decision not to send a delegation came days after the US imposed a naval blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, which Trump said would remain in place until a deal was secured with Tehran. The Islamic Republic, on the other hand, cited this blockade as the reason for not sending its delegation.
In an interview with CNN, he noted that Tehran “will not negotiate until the issue of the naval blockade is resolved”, referring to the US blockade of Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz, and dismissed reports of the presence of an Iranian delegation in Pakistan as “a complete lie”.
The blockade was imposed on April 13, a day after the first round of US-Iranian talks failed in Islamabad, despite negotiations lasting over 21 hours.
Meanwhile, Tehran last week agreed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to commercial vessels, a move Trump welcomed. However, it was closed again less than 24 hours after Trump tweeted that the naval blockade would continue.
It remains to be seen whether Pakistan will be able to persuade the Islamic Republic to engage in dialogue with Washington as the ceasefire deadline approaches.
Key things
- The US naval blockade of Iran is a significant obstacle to negotiations.
- Pakistan’s role as a mediator is crucial but fraught with challenges.
- Conflicting timelines from the US and Iran underscore the chaotic nature of the negotiations.
