ISLAMABAD – Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held key telephone conversation on Thursday with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi, as behind-the-scenes diplomacy intensifies over the future of the Middle East.
The two top diplomats reviewed rapidly evolving regional situation and ongoing US–Iran negotiations, with both sides stressing the urgent need to keep diplomatic channels open and sustain dialogue. They also underscored the importance of expanding regional cooperation to preserve stability and prevent further escalation of tensions.
The high-level contact comes at a critical moment, with Washington still awaiting Tehran’s formal response to its latest proposal aimed at ending the conflict in the Middle East and reopening a strategically vital shipping route in the Gulf.
Markets reacted sharply to the diplomatic signals. Global oil prices plunged by around five percent after US President Donald Trump suggested that a breakthrough agreement could be near, following what he described as positive discussions. In parallel, Iran indicated it would communicate its latest position through Pakistan, which is serving as a key intermediary in the talks.
The developments added fresh momentum, and uncertainty, to already fragile regional dynamics. Analysts warn that any extension of a ceasefire arrangement between the United States and Iran could have far-reaching consequences beyond the Gulf.
One immediate area of concern is Lebanon, where an already unstable truce has come under renewed strain following an Israeli strike in southern Beirut that killed a Hezbollah commander, further heightening fears of escalation in an already volatile environment.
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