Pakistan PM, regional leaders discuss peace efforts as Iran, US trade air strikes

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif spoke with regional leaders and discussed Islamabad’s diplomatic efforts for peace between the United States (US) and Iran, his office said, with Washington and Tehran trading air strikes.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Thursday it targeted a US air base after the US military carried out what a Washington official said were strikes targeting an Iranian drone operation near the Strait of Hormuz, hours after President Donald Trump rejected a report he was close to a compromise deal with Tehran.

The escalation in hostilities highlighted threats to the tenuous ceasefire between the US and Iran that took effect in early April, dampening hopes for a peace deal and sending oil prices surging again.

In his message telephonic conversation with Iranian president, Sharif expressed solidarity with the Iranian leadership and nation, and hoped that a peace deal could be “finalized soon” between the US and Iran.

“This would help unlock the true economic potential of Iran and benefit the entire region,” the prime minister was quoted as saying by his office Wednesday night. “As a brotherly and neighboring country, Pakistan would always stand by Iran and that a great future lay ahead for both countries, once peace was restored in the region.”

Pakistan has acted as a key mediator since the beginning of the war in late February, with Islamabad maintaining close coordination with Tehran and Washington. 

The Iranian president expressed his profound gratitude to the prime minister and Army Chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir for Pakistan’s important role in the efforts to bring peace to the region, according to Sharif’s office. 

He appreciated the fact that other regional countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkiye, were also on board in these peace efforts.

Sharif also spoke with Crown Prince of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al Khaled Al Hamad Al Mubarak Al Sabah on the occasion of Eid Al-Adha

“I also reiterated Pakistan’s solidarity with the leadership and brotherly people of Kuwait on the loss of precious lives and property resulting from the attacks during the current conflict,” Sharif said on X.

“We discussed the ongoing regional situation and underscored the importance of dialogue, diplomacy and collective efforts for lasting peace and stability.”

Kuwait, which hosts a large US base, said it was responding to missile and drone attacks without saying where the attacks were coming from.

Sharif earlier spoke with Malaysian PM Dr. Anwar Ibrahim and briefed him on Pakistan’s efforts to end the crisis, according to the Pakistan PM’s office. While deeply appreciating these efforts, the Malaysian Prime Minister conveyed his best wishes for

Field Marshal Munir who recently visited Tehran and has emerged as a key figure in Pakistan’s diplomatic push to end the crisis.

The war has killed thousands and sent global energy prices sharply higher since it began on February 28 with US and Israeli strikes. Trump has repeatedly said that a deal is close at hand.

At a cabinet meeting on ⁠Wednesday, he dismissed an Iranian state TV report that it had obtained an unofficial draft of an ‌agreement to restore commercial shipping through the strait to prewar levels within a month, with ‌Iran and Oman jointly managing traffic.

Trump said no single country would have control over the waterway, and appeared to threaten Oman, a country with which the US ‌has decades-long military and economic ties.

“Nobody’s going to control (the strait),” Trump said. “It’s international waters and Oman will behave just like everybody else ‌or we’ll have to blow them up. They understand that, they’ll be fine.”

The White House and Oman’s embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Iranian TV report of a framework deal said the United States would also lift its ‌blockade of Iranian ports and withdraw military forces from Iran’s vicinity.