ISLAMABAD – Pakistan is mounting an intensive diplomatic campaign to pull the United States and Iran back to the negotiating table, leveraging the Islamabad memorandum of understanding signed last month to stem a rapidly escalating conflict threatening global energy routes.
Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi told reporters Thursday that despite a deceptive lull in hostilities, the security architecture of the Middle East remains dangerously fragile. Pakistan views the framework established by the June 18 agreement as the only available off-ramp from a cycle of strikes and counter-strikes that has now drawn in multiple state and non-state actors.
Diplomacy Called the Sole Viable Path
“We are making our utmost efforts to bring both sides back to the framework of the Islamabad MoU so that outstanding issues can be addressed in the spirit of the agreement,” Andrabi said during the weekly press briefing. He emphasized that diplomacy and dialogue remain the “only viable path forward” to resolve disputes and reduce tensions.
Pakistan’s mediation push is anchored in the Islamabad MoU and a subsequent Pakistan-Qatar joint statement issued on June 22. The spokesperson urged Washington and Tehran to show “maximum restraint” and honor their commitment to restart technical-level talks.
From Hormuz Crisis to Regional Flashpoints
The diplomatic agreement signed on June 18 was initially hailed as a breakthrough aimed at reopening the Strait of Horm and containing the wider Middle East conflict. That progress unraveled on July 7 when Iran targeted commercial shipping in the strategic waterway, including a Qatari liquefied natural gas tanker, accusing the US of violating the pact.
The incident triggered multiple rounds of American strikes on Iranian military targets. The crisis has since metastasized. Yemen’s Houthi rebels imposed a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, adding a critical chokepoint to the conflict map. On Wednesday, explosions struck a natural gas loading facility in Egypt, while reports surfaced that a US-owned floating storage tanker was hit by a drone.
In a parallel escalation, the United States and Saudi Arabia conducted joint strikes against Iran-backed paramilitary groups in Iraq. After a nearly week-long pause, the US launched fresh strikes on Iran on Thursday in retaliation for Tehran’s targeting of American bases in Jordan.
Nuclear Documentary Draws Sharp Rejection
In a separate development, the Foreign Office forcefully rejected a Deutsche Welle documentary on Pakistan’s nuclear programme, branding it as “misleading” and built on speculation.
Andrabi dismissed the German broadcaster’s production as a repetition of “hackneyed and speculative commentary” supported by biased sources. He suggested the programme reflected either a “profound misunderstanding” of Pakistan’s nuclear history and policy evolution or a deliberate disregard for the strategic rationale behind the country’s deterrent capability.
