Pakistan invites Iran FM to Islamabad as US-Iran talks face fresh uncertainty

Lahore,UPDATED: Aug 4, 2026 16:06 IST

Pakistan has stepped up its diplomatic outreach to Iran, with Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar inviting his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi to visit Islamabad "at the earliest" for talks. The move comes as uncertainty continues over contacts between Tehran and Washington after US President Donald Trump said he had called off planned military strikes against Iran following appeals from regional allies.

Officials said the outreach reflects Islamabad's effort to remain a key diplomatic bridge between Iran and the US, even as Pakistan keeps what one senior official described as a "relatively low profile". Iran's response to the invitation was not immediately known.

In a post on X on Monday, Pakistan's Foreign Office said, "Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar @MIshaqDar50 spoke today with the Foreign Minister of Iran, Seyyed Abbas Araghchi. They exchanged views on regional and international developments, including the deteriorating situation in Occupied East Jerusalem." It added, "DPM/FM (Dar) invited Foreign Minister Araghchi to visit Pakistan at his earliest convenience."

Separately, Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq has reportedly invited his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf to Islamabad. Both Araghchi and Ghalibaf played prominent roles in the recent US-Iran negotiations.

"Through the latest outreach, Pakistan is seeking to reinforce its position as a trusted intermediary at a time when diplomatic efforts remain fragile and the prospect of another military confrontation continues to loom over the Gulf," a senior Pakistani government official told PTI on Tuesday. The official said Pakistan was currently keeping a "relatively low profile" to ease tensions, adding, "Let me tell you... diplomatic engagement has continued behind the scenes."

In June, the US and Iran signed a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at bringing peace in West Asia, with Pakistan also signing the document as a "guarantor". Pakistan hosted peace talks in April and later attended another round of technical-level talks in Switzerland as a mediator, days after the MoU was signed.

The negotiations collapsed in early July after renewed military strikes, with both sides accusing each other of violating the agreement and remaining deadlocked over the Strait of Hormuz, the Gulf chokepoint through which about a fifth of the world's energy supplies passed in peacetime. Pakistan's latest diplomatic outreach has come amid fresh uncertainty over US-Iran diplomacy.

On Monday, Trump accused Iran's leadership of being "unbelievably duplicitous" after Tehran denied that negotiations with Washington were under way. He insisted talks were continuing, while Iranian officials maintained that no negotiations with the US were taking place or scheduled. A day earlier, Trump said he had suspended planned military strikes on Iran after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the leaders of Qatar and the UAE asked him to allow more time for negotiations. He did not name Pakistan as a mediator, but Iran continued to acknowledge Islamabad's role. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghei said on Monday that Pakistan remained "the mediator in the discussions related to Iran and the US", while Qatar was facilitating the process whenever required. "To say that we have added a new mediator to the existing mediators is not, in the strict sense of the word, the case," he added.

The latest exchanges show Pakistan continuing its diplomatic contact with Iran as uncertainty persists over any future US-Iran talks and after recent efforts to keep the process alive through regional mediation.

With PTI Inputs

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