ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Islamabad is continuing its backchannel role in mediating between Washington, Tehran, and regional countries to prevent renewed hostilities, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif confirmed to Rudaw on Wednesday, as the US and Iran take cautious steps toward rapprochement.
“We have not lost hope, we are absolutely determined and we will further make efforts and make progress to deescalate the situation,” the Pakistani premier told Rudaw’s Namo Abdulla on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly meeting in New York.
He pointed to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed on June 18 between “three leaders” - naming US President Donald Trump, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, and himself - which opened a 60-day window for negotiations.
Although the aftermath “got a bit unpredictable,” Islamabad remains “completely focused” to convince the warring parties to return to the landmark 14-point MoU that addressed strategic points of contention between the adversaries, in which the Strait of Hormuz emerged as a major flashpoint.
Hostilities nonetheless precipitated, resulting in 13 consecutive days of strikes and counterstrikes between Washington and Tehran in July, as well as a week-long standoff in late August, with the latter taking place around 10 days after the expiration of the MoU’s 60-day window.
The remarks come as the US and Iran held talks on the sidelines of UNGA after nearly seven months of unrelenting hostilities that started with a six week-long war in late February. Islamabad, who through backchannel diplomacy succeeded in forging a shaky ceasefire between the foes in April, expressed hope that talks could bear fruit once more.
Earlier on Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff engaged in meetings, with the former stating that they have delivered Tehran’s “firm stance.”
Witkoff later announced that they have "successfully completed a round of discussions” that he hoped will be “constructive and promising” and that “the mediators will continue their work.”
Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Wednesday that his country is “ready for dialogue, diplomacy, and negotiations without accepting the language of force.”
His statement was followed by the Iranian foreign ministry’s spokesperson, Esmael Baghaei, claiming that during the meeting Iran’s “positions” and “conditions” for “reviving democracy” have been delivered in a manner that “leaves no doubt or ambiguity and provides no excuses or pretexts for any party.”
[Updated at 9:15pm]
