ISLAMABAD: Congressman Al Green has introduced a resolution commending Pakistan for its efforts to facilitate peace between the United States (US) and Iran, his office said on Thursday.
Pakistan, which has positioned itself as a key intermediary, hosted US and Iranian officials on April 11-12 for their first direct talks in more than a decade, though the negotiations could not yield a breakthrough.
Islamabad has since been acting a go-between for messages between the two countries as a fragile ceasefire continues to hold between them, despite sporadic violations in the Middle East region.
Congressman Green’s resolution recognized Islamabad’s role as a “neutral and reliable” mediator amid a devastating conflict that has resulted in significant loss of life, mass displacement and substantial financial costs globally.
“Amid a war marked by loss of life and immense suffering, we must recognize those working to bring peace. Pakistan’s role as a neutral partner reminds us that diplomacy is still our strongest path forward,” Congressman Green said in a statement.
“By commending these efforts, we reaffirm our commitment to choosing dialogue over destruction and pursuing a peace that values innocent lives touched by this conflict.”
The statement from Green’s office came as President Donald Trump said Pakistan had asked US not to militarily engage Iran during negotiations to end their war, following an exchange of fire between the two sides on Thursday.
The latest violence threatened the fragile truce in effect since April 8 that brought an end to weeks of US-Israeli attacks on the Islamic republic, which has retaliated with strikes across the Middle East and by blocking the Strait of Hormuz.
“As you know, Pakistan has been fantastic. And their leaders have been fantastic, the field marshal and the prime minister, and they asked us not to do it. We’ll go back to it if we have to. They asked us not to do it during the negotiation,” the US president said, when asked why the US suspended ‘Project Freedom’ to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said the Islamic republic was reviewing messages from Pakistan, but Iran “has not yet reached a conclusion, and no response has been given to the US side,” Iranian state TV reported.
Separately, Pakistani foreign ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said they expected the parties to reach a sustainable solution.
“We expect an agreement sooner rather than later,” he said, without giving any timeline.
