Pakistan maintains ‘delicate balancing act’ as it hosts Iran talks 

As the United States-Israeli war on Iran entered its 30th day, key regional powers have converged on Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, in a bid to de-escalate the fighting in the Middle East, which has caused a global energy crisis.

Driven by growing concerns over the fallout of the conflict, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud arrived on Sunday for two days of talks with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar.

“Islamabad has now become the hub of all diplomatic activity to try to bring an end to the US-Israel war on Iran,” Al Jazeera’s Osama Bin Javaid reported from the Pakistani capital.

He noted that the meetings are a platform initially discussed in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. Dar, who is also Pakistan’s foreign minister, is now trying to use this foundation to “build a regional bloc of sorts” that could eventually bring together broader powers, including Indonesia and Malaysia.

The diplomatic push follows a Saturday evening phone call between Dar and his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi. According to a readout posted on Araghchi’s official Telegram channel, Dar briefed him on the four nations’ efforts to achieve an immediate halt to the war. During the call, Araghchi detailed what he described as “heinous crimes” committed by the US and Israel against Iran, accusing them of deliberately targeting schools, hospitals, other public infrastructure and residential areas.

As an initial confidence-building measure after the ministers’ call, Islamabad announced that Tehran had agreed to allow 20 Pakistani-flagged ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz at a rate of two per day.

Bin Javaid explained that this move is designed to “tell the Americans that they’ve been somewhat successful in opening the Strait of Hormuz”.

The regional efforts come as US President Donald Trump announced a 10-day extension of his deadline for Iran to reopen the strait, through which 20 percent of the world’s oil and gas supplies pass. Tehran’s chokehold on the strait has created the worst energy crisis since the 1973 oil embargo.

Trump has sent a 15-point ceasefire plan to Iran, but Tehran has rejected it and instead presented its own conditions, including the end of US-Israeli aggression, reparations for war damage and security guarantees to prevent future attacks.

Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched the war on February 28 as Washington was holding talks with Tehran on its nuclear programme. Oman, the mediator of those discussions, said the war was launched although a deal had been “within reach”.

‘Very delicate balancing act’

Pakistan will be walking a diplomatic tightrope at the talks. It has close defence ties with Saudi Arabia and shares a 900km (560-mile) border and cultural ties with Iran. Pakistan is also home to the second largest Shia population in the world after Iran.

“It’s a difficult job, given the fact that these foreign ministers will be meeting to see if they are able to bring the Americans and the Iranians back to the negotiating table,” Al Jazeera’s Kamal Hyder said, reporting from Islamabad.

Zahid Hussain, a political analyst from Pakistan, described the country’s role as a “very delicate balancing act”. He pointed out that while Islamabad condemned the recent attacks on Iran and Gulf states, it explicitly named Israel while carefully refraining from naming the US.

Ties between Washington and Islamabad have warmed up since Trump succeeded former US President Joe Biden. Trump has hosted Pakistan army chief Asim Munir twice as the two leaders have developed a personal rapport. Trump has described Munir as “my favourite field marshal”.

“Pakistan is currently playing the role of a messenger rather than a mediator, relaying messages between America and Iran,” Hussain explained, noting that Islamabad lacks the leverage to impose solutions. “If the war ends following this initiative, it will significantly elevate Islamabad’s diplomacy. But if it continues, Pakistan will be one of the countries most harmed.”

‘Islamic alliance’

Analysts said the diplomatic push is a calculated attempt to appeal directly to the US president’s political ambitions.

Mahjoob Zweiri, a Middle East policy expert, told Al Jazeera the Islamabad talks seek to revive Trump’s newly established Board of Peace, which went into a diplomatic “coma” after its recent proposals for Gaza.

“They are appealing to the president’s sensibilities,” Zweiri said. “The message is: ‘You created this board and say you want to achieve peace. Go and make peace in this war.'”

Beyond political manoeuvring, the participating nations are driven by severe economic fears. For Islamabad, the stakes are existential. Pakistan risks a major crisis if energy supplies decline while millions of its citizens could lose their jobs in the Gulf region if the conflict spreads.

Experts also pointed out the enormous economic costs borne by the Gulf countries as their energy exports, a major source of revenue, have dropped drastically due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.  And near-daily Iranian drone and missile attacks have targeted energy and industrial facilities, forcing petroleum companies in several countries to declare force majeure on supply contracts.

Gulf countries have condemned the Iranian attacks but have so far refrained from undertaking a military response. Iran has carried out attacks on its Gulf neighbours, who have forged close economic and security ties with Washington. Bases in the region where US forces are deployed have repeatedly been attacked by Iran since the war began.

Mahmoud Alloush, a Turkiye-based political analyst, noted that the war has “increasingly deepened the doubts of US-allied countries regarding the American security umbrella”, proving that a reliance on Washington has brought consequences rather than protection.

Alloush argued that the Islamabad gathering serves as a foundational step for an “Islamic alliance” designed to counter the Israeli project in the region, address the resulting geopolitical vacuums and mitigate the uncertainties surrounding future US involvement.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has urged Arab countries not to join the war against Iran. His foreign minister has been travelling to Arab capitals to try to prevent the conflict from spreading.

“Unfortunately, the region is being drawn step by step into a game scripted by Israel,” he said, accusing Israel of sowing a “seed of discord” to divide Muslim countries.

However, the diplomatic push is racing against a highly volatile reality.

On Saturday, Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels launched their first attacks on Israel since the start of the conflict, just a day after thousands of additional US soldiers arrived in the Middle East.

US media reports said the Trump administration is planning to launch a ground invasion.

Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, on Sunday said Iranian forces are prepared for a potential US ground attack as he accused Washington of signalling talks while planning an escalation of the war.