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Pakistan says it is still working to narrow the gap between Washington and Tehran, even as plans for face-to-face talks in Islamabad between the two nations collapsed over the weekend.
Officials involved in the mediation say backchannel contacts remain active, with both sides continuing to exchange messages through intermediaries despite the absence of direct negotiations.
The move comes post President Donald Trump’s decision to call off the planned visit by US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Islamabad, saying Iran could “call or come to us” if it wanted to move forward.
At the center of the latest effort is a proposal carried by Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, who travelled between Islamabad and Muscat before heading to Moscow.
According to reports, the plan focuses first on ending hostilities and easing tensions in the Gulf — particularly around the Strait of Hormuz — while postponing negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programme.
The US has made clear that any deal must address nuclear issues from the outset, with Trump reiterating that Iran “cannot have a nuclear weapon” and dismissing the current offer as insufficient.
For now, Pakistan is continuing its role as a go-between. Officials say discussions are likely to stay remote until there is enough common ground to justify another round of in-person talks. Preparations for last week’s high-level meeting have already been scaled back, with security measures in Islamabad eased after the visit was cancelled.
The diplomatic pause has fueled greater uncertainty, as oil markets have adversely reacted to the ongoing ceasefire, with prices skyrocketing amid lingering concerns over disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, with further threats to block the Strait of Bab-el-Mandeb.
Tensions in the region also likewise remain at an all-time high, as fighting in Lebanon has intensified, with Iran stating that any progress in peace talks is also dependent on addressing the situation there, amid Israel’s parallel war with Iran backed Hezbollah militants.
