What was Pakistan's role in US-Iran ceasefire? Journalist Hamid Mir explains Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir said Pakistan acted as a facilitator rather than a direct mediator in efforts to secure a two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran. Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir on Wednesday described Pakistan’s role in efforts to broker a two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran as that of a facilitator rather than a direct mediator. In an exclusive interview with India Today's Consulting Editor Rajdeep Sardesai, Mir said Islamabad’s contribution to US-Iran de-escalation was acknowledged by multiple stakeholders, including US President Donald Trump and the Iranian leadership. However, he drew a clear distinction between mediation and facilitation. “There were two-three parties in this war. One side was the US and Israel, the other side was Iran. Then some Gulf countries also joined the US and Israel because the Iranians were attacking US bases in retaliation,” he said. Mir stressed that Pakistan could not be considered a full mediator due to its diplomatic limitations. “Pakistan does not have diplomatic relations with Israel, so a mediator should have access to all the parties. Pakistan had limited access – it had access only to the US and Iran. I think Pakistan was playing the role of a facilitator. It was a peace initiative,” he said. According to Mir, Pakistan’s outreach began immediately after the US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28. “This initiative actually started immediately after the war on March 1. Our Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar called both the parties. He called (Iranian Foreign Minister) Abbas Araghchi and he also contacted the US administration. He also contacted Saudis and other stakeholders in the Gulf countries,” he said. He added that the initial focus was narrower – to prevent escalation between Iran and Saudi Arabia. “Initially, Pakistan was only trying to create some communication channel between Iran and Saudi Arabia because Pakistan has a direct cooperation pact with Saudi Arabia,” Mir said. Describing Islamabad’s message to Tehran, the journalist said, “Pakistan was telling Iranians, ‘Please do not attack Saudi Arabia because we have our defence cooperation pact with them. So please don’t create a situation in which we have to take some decisions which you may not like.’” Mir said Pakistan’s role evolved as the situation developed. “But gradually, Turkey also jumped in and then Pakistan was forced to take the position of a facilitator,” he added. He stressed that Pakistan’s involvement was not that of a formal negotiator but a bridge-builder. “It was a peace initiative,” he said, underscoring Islamabad’s role in facilitating communication between the US and Iran rather than directly mediating a ceasefire.
What was Pakistan's role in US-Iran ceasefire? Journalist Hamid Mir explains Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir said Pakistan acted as a facilitator rather than a direct mediator in efforts to secure a two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran. Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir on Wedn…
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International mediators have proposed a 10-day ceasefire between the United States and Iran, according to a senior Iranian official cited in reports. The measure is described as intended to reduce hostilities and allow renewed talks on a prior interim agreement.
Both sides are assessing next steps in the current regional security situation.
Reports indicate that a US-Iran ceasefire has broken down amid renewed fighting, with the potential impact of mediation efforts by Pakistan, Qatar, and Oman remaining unclear. Earlier diplomatic steps included a June memorandum of understanding between the parties for further negotiations and talks hosted in Geneva in February.
The summary also references Europe’s historical role in diplomacy, including the 1814-15 Congress of Vienna.
Donald Trump stated in a Fox News interview that his representatives had spoken with Iranian officials an hour earlier and that those officials wanted to make a deal to end the conflict, though he noted they had broken prior agreements and expressed uncertainty about whether one would be reached.
He added that people do not want to die and that Iran would need to proceed carefully to avoid further losses. The remarks come amid an ongoing US-Iran conflict that has involved casualties and shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, with some social media users criticizing the repetition of similar statements.
Why the Iran-US ceasefire is falling apart Iran and the US have resumed fighting because they don’t see each other as ‘reliable negotiating partners’, says analyst Ali Vaez. Neither Iran nor the United States seems able to deliver a “knockout blow at an acceptable price” to the other side, and both know “they have no choice other than engaging in diplomacy”, but they’re not ready to make uncomfortable concessions, argues Ali Vaez, director of the Iran Project at International Crisis Group.
Vaez tells host Steve Clemons that Tehran and Washington are trying to “enforce their own interpretation” of the ceasefire agreement they signed last month. President Trump has become “frustrated” with diplomacy because he’s not seeing “the kind of quick results that he likes to see”, Vaez says.