ISLAMABAD, July 10. /TASS/. Islamabad is ready to continue its mediatory efforts to settle the conflict between Tehran and Washington, Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif said during a phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
"We discussed the evolving regional situation and underscored the imperative of restraint, dialogue and diplomacy to safeguard the hard-earned peace gains of recent months. I reaffirmed Pakistan’s readiness to continue playing its role as an honest and sincere mediator for lasting regional peace," he wrote on his X page.
The United States and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28. The then Iranian Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in an airstrike. In June, Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding envisaging an immediate cessation of hostilities on all the fronts, including in Lebanon. Later, the United States and Iran engaged in Qatar-and Pakistan-mediated talks in Switzerland’s Burgenstock. According to the mediators’ joint statement after the first round of talks, the meeting was held in a positive and constructive atmosphere and yielded promising progress, laying the groundwork for further technical consultations. However, overnight to July 8, the United States resumed massive airstrikes on Iran, accusing it of violating their previous agreements, in particular, regarding the Strait of Hormuz. In response, Iran struck US military facilities in the region.