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- Tehran seeks Islamabad’s help in preserving ceasefire as tensions rise over Israeli operations in Lebanon
- Iranian media say negotiations with Washington halted pending end to military actions in Lebanon and Gaza
ISLAMABAD: Iran has asked Pakistan to continue helping de-escalate tensions in the Middle East and support efforts to preserve a fragile ceasefire, Islamabad said on Monday, hours after Iranian media reported Tehran was suspending exchanges with mediators involved in talks with the United States over Israel’s military operations in Lebanon.
The development signals a fresh setback for diplomatic efforts aimed at stabilizing the region after months of conflict involving Iran, the United States, Israel and the wider Middle East. Pakistan has emerged as a key intermediary between Washington and Tehran during the crisis, hosting negotiations and relaying messages between the two sides in efforts to prevent a wider regional war.
According to Pakistan’s Foreign Office, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi spoke by telephone with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar to discuss the regional situation and recent developments.
“FM Araghchi also appreciated Pakistan’s constructive role in regional diplomacy and requested Pakistan to continue using its good offices to help facilitate de-escalation in the current situation and support efforts to maintain the ceasefire,” the Foreign Office said in a statement on Monday evening.
Pakistan said Dar conveyed Islamabad’s “serious concern” over recent developments, including reported ceasefire violations in Lebanon, and stressed the importance of ensuring that existing understandings did not collapse.
“DPM / FM conveyed Pakistan’s serious concern and emphasized the importance of ensuring that the ceasefire is sustained in order to prevent any breakdown of existing understandings,” the statement said.
The call came after Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported that Tehran was suspending all exchanges with mediators involved in indirect negotiations with Washington, blaming what it described as Israeli violations of ceasefire arrangements linked to the wider regional conflict.
According to Tasnim, Iran’s negotiating team halted “dialogues and exchange of texts through mediators” because of Israel’s ongoing military operations in Lebanon and Gaza and its advance into southern Lebanon. Tehran is demanding an immediate halt to Israeli military actions and a withdrawal from newly occupied Lebanese territory before talks can resume.
Iranian state media separately reported that Araghchi also held a telephone conversation with Pakistan’s Chief of Defense Forces, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, on regional developments and ceasefire-related issues.
The diplomatic strain comes amid growing concerns that fighting in Lebanon could unravel broader ceasefire efforts linked to the Iran-US conflict. Iran has repeatedly argued that Lebanon was part of the understandings underpinning the April ceasefire, while Israel and the United States have disputed that interpretation.
Pakistan has played an increasingly prominent role in mediation efforts since the conflict erupted in February following joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran and Tehran’s subsequent military response. Islamabad helped broker a temporary ceasefire announced in April and later hosted talks between American and Iranian officials aimed at reaching a longer-term settlement and reopening key energy shipping routes, including the Strait of Hormuz.
The ceasefire has largely held since April despite periodic incidents, but negotiations on a permanent agreement have repeatedly stalled over issues including Iran’s nuclear program, sanctions relief, maritime security and the scope of regional ceasefire arrangements.
Iranian media also warned on Monday that Tehran and its regional allies could increase pressure on strategic maritime routes, including the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab Al-Mandab Strait, if hostilities continue, raising fresh concerns about global energy supplies and shipping.
Separately, Axios reported on Monday that Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri had informed the United States that Hezbollah was prepared for a “full and immediate ceasefire” with Israel, though US and Israeli officials reportedly remained skeptical about whether the proposal could be implemented.
With additional inputs from wires