Pakistan wants to mediate between the U.S. and Iran

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Pakistani Armed Forces, Field Marshal Asim Munir, is holding telephone talks with U.S. President Donald Trump to explore ways to resolve the conflict, Bloomberg reports.

Pakistan is offering its capital, Islamabad, as a venue for potential negotiations.

Trump’s Special Envoy Steve Whitcoff is playing a key role in the negotiations.

Pakistan is leveraging its close ties with Trump, along with its longstanding relationships with neighboring Iran and other key countries, such as Saudi Arabia.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif spoke with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday, expressing solidarity with Iran and calling for de-escalation of the conflict.

Pakistan has stepped up its diplomatic efforts in the Persian Gulf region amid the escalation of hostilities, which has triggered an energy crisis causing a significant gas shortage in South Asia.

The Strait of Hormuz, through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas is transported, has been effectively closed since the start of hostilities. Pakistan imports nearly all of its crude oil, petroleum products, and LNG from Gulf countries.

Photo: financialexpress.com.