Shahbaz Sharif with Abbas Araghchi (AP Photo)
In a high-stakes diplomatic endeavor, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in Islamabad on Saturday.Araqchi arrived in Islamabad carrying Tehran’s official response to the American proposals, as discussions focused on the “regional situation” and ceasefire dynamics.
The meeting witnessed the presence of Pakistan’s senior civilian and military leaders, including Army Chief Asim Munir and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar.Araqchi praised the visit as “fruitful,” writing in a post on the
“It remains to be seen whether the United States is really serious about diplomacy.”
There is no meeting between the United States and Iran despite mediation efforts
Despite Pakistan’s attempts to mediate the talks, there has been no direct or indirect clash between Iran and the United States. Tehran made clear that it would not meet the visiting American delegation, which included Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and advisor Jared Kushner.Instead, Iran conveyed its position through Pakistani mediators, stressing that any negotiations would remain indirect.
The main precondition put forward by Tehran was the lifting of the US naval blockade of Iranian ports and the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.Officials and analysts described the prospects of the talks as “fading rapidly,” as Islamabad was unable to bring the two sides to the negotiating table despite hosting them simultaneously, Dawn reported. Before the upcoming talks, Islamabad was placed under an unprecedented security lockdown.
Main roads were closed and the red zone was cordoned off, severely disrupting daily life.
However, extensive security arrangements failed to achieve any diplomatic breakthrough. The expected high-level engagement between Washington and Tehran did not materialize, leaving Pakistani mediation efforts exposed.
Iran surrenders the demands and leaves Islamabad
After a series of meetings with the Pakistani leadership, Araqchi left Islamabad the same day, effectively ending hopes for a second round of talks in the city.According to reports, the Iranian delegation handed over an “official list of demands” to Pakistan to engage with the United States and its allies. These included conditions associated with the end of hostilities and the lifting of sanctions and blockades.Araqchi later said that Iran had conveyed its “principled positions” regarding a ceasefire and ending what he described as the “imposed war.”He is now scheduled to visit Oman and Russia, signaling a shift in Tehran’s diplomatic focus away from Pakistan.
Trump cancels the visit of the American delegation
In a major development, US President Donald Trump canceled the scheduled visit of US envoys to Pakistan, citing a lack of meaningful participation.“I told my people… you’re not going to make an 18-hour trip to go there… We have all the cards. They can call us any time they want,” Trump said.
The decision came at a time when Iran refused to deal with the American delegation, making the trip diplomatically redundant.In a separate post on Truth Social, Trump wrote: “I just canceled my representative’s trip to Islamabad, Pakistan, to meet with the Iranians. A lot of time wasted traveling, and a lot of work! On top of that, there is massive infighting and confusion within their ‘leadership’. No one knows who is in charge, including them. Also, we have all the cards, and they don’t have any! If they want to talk, all they have to do is call!!!”
The collapse of the talks reverses the previous stalemate
The collapse of this round of diplomacy echoes the first round of talks held earlier in Islamabad, which lasted more than 20 hours but failed to achieve any breakthrough.Although indirect exchanges through Pakistan continue, fundamental disputes, including sanctions relief and the naval blockade, remain unresolved.
Pakistani mediation attempt fails
While Pakistan attempted to present itself as a key mediator, the outcome highlighted its limited influence over the actual stakeholders.Even as Sharif described his meeting with the Iranian foreign minister as a “warm and friendly exchange,” the inability to facilitate engagement between the United States and Iran highlighted Islamabad’s marginal role in the broader geopolitical standoff.With Iran shifting its diplomatic outreach to Oman and Russia and the United States backing away from immediate engagement, Pakistan’s ambitions to host a decisive breakthrough in the conflict appear to have failed.