Pakistan hogged the limelight on Monday after it reportedly offered to act as a mediator to broker an end to the US and Israeli war against Iran. Pakistan, along with Turkey and Egypt, held backchannel communications with the US and Iran, which were described as “substantive rather than symbolic”, according to reports.
Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir spoke with US President Donald Trump on Sunday, Pakistan local media claimed, adding that officials at Ankara and Cairo had played a significant role in backchannel diplomacy and served as an intermediary between Washington and Tehran to “bridge the gap”. According to US media reports, the officials from these countries separately engaged with US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
Islamabad also claimed that PM Shehbaz talked to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian over the phone, stressing the need for dialogue and diplomacy.
Soon, reports quoting Israeli officials said the US and Iran could hold talks in Islamabad as soon as this week, and the summit could see the participation of US Vice President JD Vance.
Though there was no official confirmation from Pakistan, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi told Karachi-based newspaper Dawn that “if the parties desire, Islamabad is always willing to host talks.”
However, to the Pakistani media’s dismay, the White House downplayed the reports of any possible US-Iran talks in Pakistan, saying any such diplomatic engagement would be formally announced.
When asked about the potential “Islamabad summit”, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the “US will not negotiate through the press.”
“This is a fluid situation, and speculation about meetings should not be deemed as final until they are formally announced by the White House,” Leavitt said.
Not just Washington, even Iran denied holding direct talks with Washington. Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said Tehran had received messages from the United States through “friendly states” requesting negotiations, adding that appropriate responses were given [to those initiatives] as per the country’s fundamental positions.
Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, dismissed reports of direct negotiations as “fake news,” accusing the United States and Israel of attempting to influence financial and oil markets. An Iranian official described the reports about Pakistan hosting talks as “speculative”.
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However, that did not stop the Pakistani media from waxing eloquent about the “proactive leadership of PM Shehbaz Sharif and the strategic-level engagements” of Asim Munir. Another report claimed that Pakistan's “balanced foreign policy” has earned international recognition for maintaining positive relations with all key stakeholders.
Another report that appeared in Dawn claimed Pakistan has been acting as a go-between for some time, delivering US messages to Tehran and back. “Pakistan is reaffirming its role as a ‘net regional stabiliser’, leveraging its unique diplomatic position to shift the focus from confrontation toward meaningful dialogue,” Dawn quoted an unnamed source.