Pakistan and Qatar have intensified diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions between the United States and Iran, urging both sides to halt hostilities and return to negotiations under a previously agreed framework, according to Pakistani government sources cited by a Turkish news agency.
The report said Islamabad and Doha have recently been in contact with both Washington and Tehran in an effort to prevent the situation from deteriorating into a wider regional conflict.
According to the sources, Pakistan and Qatar are working under the framework of the “Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding,” which envisages a negotiated settlement between the United States and Iran.
The sources acknowledged that the current escalation was not anticipated, describing the outstanding issues between the two sides as complex and highly sensitive.
Despite the latest military exchanges, Pakistan remains confident that the confrontation is unlikely to develop into a full-scale war, the report quoted the sources as saying, adding that both Washington and Tehran understand that such a conflict would not serve their long-term interests.
However, the sources cautioned that further military confrontations could not be ruled out given the nature of the unresolved disputes.
According to the report, before the latest escalation, American and Iranian negotiators had been expected to meet in Islamabad within one to two weeks for technical-level discussions. Those plans have now been disrupted by the renewed hostilities.
The sources said the immediate priority for the mediators is to secure a halt in fighting before reviving the negotiation process, expressing hope that Islamabad would still host the next round of talks once conditions permit.
They also said implementation of the Islamabad Memorandum had been affected by continued Israeli military operations in Lebanon, with differences emerging over the sequencing of broader regional issues.
According to the report, Iran had maintained that a ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon should precede steps related to the Strait of Hormuz, while the US position was that previously resolved matters should not be linked to outstanding issues.
The report further stated that the presidents of the United States and Iran had earlier signed the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, giving negotiators a 60-day timeframe to reach a final agreement after the process launched in February 2026.
It added that technical negotiations had subsequently taken place in Switzerland and Doha, with Islamabad scheduled to host the next phase before the latest exchange of attacks interrupted the diplomatic process.
The renewed mediation efforts come amid an intensifying military confrontation between Washington and Tehran. US President Donald Trump has warned of further military action against Iran, while Tehran has vowed a strong response.
At the time of filing this report, military exchanges between the United States and Iran were continuing, with reports indicating ongoing US strikes and Iranian attempts to target American military facilities in the Gulf region.
