Pakistan has urged the United States and Iran to adhere to an interim peace agreement, the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which it helped broker in June. This call comes after a recent resurgence of fighting between Washington and Tehran, ending a month-long period of calm. Islamabad views the implementation of this agreement as the only viable way forward for regional peace.
Pakistan has been actively mediating between the two nations for months, beginning after fighting erupted in February and disrupted shipping in the critical Strait of Hormuz. The Islamabad MoU, brokered in June, outlined terms such as a cessation of hostilities, Iran reopening the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping, and an end to a US naval blockade of Iranian ports. However, the agreement unraveled in July.
Following weekend attacks, which included US forces striking rocket launchers on Iran’s Larak Island and Iran responding with missile fires at US sites in Jordan, Pakistan renewed its call for both countries to return to the peace framework. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar emphasized this during a meeting with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi at a Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Bishkek. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also made a similar appeal to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, underscoring the importance of restraint and sustained diplomatic engagement.
While there have been renewed diplomatic efforts, including visits by Pakistan's Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir to Tehran, fundamental differences between Iran and the United States persist. Iran's position is conditional on the US addressing what it considers violations of the MoU and honoring its commitments. Pakistan continues to relay proposals and comments between both sides, with Washington reportedly considering sanctions relief under certain conditions.
