Now Reading: Pakistani hopes rise to host next US-Iran talks amid strikes
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Pakistani hopes rise to host next US-Iran talks amid strikes
Pakistan hopes to host the next round of US-Iran talks "very soon," Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Sunday, praising US President Donald Trump's peace efforts. The statement came after Trump held…
The Story in Brief
Pakistan hopes to host the next round of US-Iran talks "very soon," Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Sunday, praising US President Donald Trump's peace efforts. The statement came after Trump held phone calls with leaders of several West Asian nations over the weekend. For Pakistan, Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir was on the call, according to Sharif. Munir had been in Tehran until Saturday evening holding talks with Iranian leaders to accelerate a conclusive agreement.
However, a separate report from July 30, 2026, paints a conflicting picture. Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said the country was "doing its utmost" to revive negotiations amid escalating hostilities. He urged restraint as fresh US strikes hit Iran in retaliation for attacks on American bases. The Islamabad MoU, signed on June 18, aimed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz after US-Israeli strikes on Iran, but collapsed after renewed attacks on shipping in July.
The Indian Opinion
The narrative of a diplomatic breakthrough through Pakistan's mediation clashes hard with the reality of fresh US strikes on Iran and Iranian attacks on shipping. Cheerleading by the Pakistan PM about peace efforts sounds hollow when, by July 30, the ceasefire under its own MoU had shattered and the conflict has widened to new fronts. The real test is not who hosts talks but whether Pakistan can deliver on its stated goal: to get both sides back to technical-level negotiations as envisaged by the June 18 pact. Can Islamabad enforce any ceasefire when the US and Iran keep hitting each other? The silence on that question is deafening.
Sources (2): millenniumpost.in, thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
