Pakistan 'engaged' in Hormuz diplomacy with regional partners

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said on Thursday that Pakistan remains actively engaged with regional partners in diplomatic efforts to ease tensions in the Gulf and the Middle East, particularly the standoff in the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

Islamabad's diplomatic push

Speaking during his weekly press briefing in the capital, Andrabi stated that "Pakistan remains engaged alongside other brotherly states in sincere efforts to resolve the crisis in the Gulf and the Middle East, especially with respect to the standoff in the Strait of Hormuz." He praised Oman's role in promoting regional stability, saying: "As a littoral state overlooking the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf, Oman has consistently played a constructive role in promoting regional peace and stability." Pakistan would continue to pursue diplomacy to support peace in the region, he added.

As part of these diplomatic initiatives, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held separate telephone conversations with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi, Andrabi said. The discussions addressed recent developments in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, as well as the situation in Palestine and Occupied East Jerusalem, according to the spokesperson. Dar also invited Araghchi to visit Pakistan.

US-Iran tensions

Washington and Tehran signed a framework agreement on June 18 and launched negotiations toward a final deal before the talks stalled over disagreements on guarantees for security and freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. Tensions surged again last month when the US conducted strikes inside Iran, while Tehran responded by targeting what it described as US military facilities and equipment in several Arab countries, particularly Jordan, Bahrain, and Kuwait.