Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he held a “detailed” call with Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian on Saturday.
The conversation, lasting over an hour, came as foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Turkey convened in Islamabad for talks.
The Pakistani Foreign Ministry said diplomats would discuss “a range of issues, including efforts to de-escalate tensions in the region” on Sunday and Monday.
Sharif’s government has emerged as a key intermediary between Iran and the United States, relaying messages as the war drags on.
Sharif told reporters he briefed Iran’s president on Pakistan’s outreach to the United States and Gulf nations to facilitate dialogue and de-escalation.
Pezeshkian praised Islamabad’s role, thanking Pakistan for its “mediation efforts to stop the aggression against the Islamic republic,” his office reported.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar announced that Iran allowed “20 more ships” under the Pakistani flag to pass daily through the Strait of Hormuz.
Dar described such confidence-building measures as essential, emphasising that “dialogue and diplomacy are the only way forward” to avoid further conflict escalation.
Sharif and army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir maintain personal rapport with US President Donald Trump, strengthening Islamabad’s diplomatic leverage in the region.
Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said he expects a direct US-Iran meeting in Pakistan “very soon,” though he did not disclose his source.
While Tehran denies official talks with Washington, it reportedly responded to Trump’s 15-point peace plan through Pakistan, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency.
The Islamabad talks aim to channel diplomacy into tangible progress, with Pakistan seeking to transform fragile communications into lasting regional stability.