Pakistan is trying to get diplomacy between the United States and Iran back on track after a planned round of talks fell through. Efforts to bring both sides together hit a setback when President Trump canceled a trip that would have sent senior U.S. officials to Islamabad for negotiations over the weekend.
Despite that, Pakistani officials are continuing their role as intermediaries, working to narrow major disagreements between Washington and Tehran. According to a regional official involved in the process, indirect discussions have not stopped, even without a formal meeting taking place.
One of the biggest sticking points remains Iran’s demand that the United States lift restrictions affecting its ports. Iranian leaders have made clear they are not willing to begin a new phase of talks unless those measures are removed first.
During a phone call Saturday night, Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, told Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, that Washington needs to eliminate what he described as “operational obstacles,” including the blockade, before negotiations can resume. Iranian state media reported the exchange.
Meanwhile, Iran’s foreign minister has been actively traveling in the region amid the uncertainty. After an earlier visit to Islamabad, he made a stop in Oman—across the Strait of Hormuz—before returning briefly to Pakistan for a short follow-up visit. He then departed for Russia late Sunday.
Although the U.S. delegation never arrived in Pakistan for a second round of talks, Pakistani officials say they are still facilitating communication between both sides, and behind-the-scenes negotiations are continuing for now.