E-Paper
Iran's Pezeshkian speaks to Sharif as Gulf nations gear up to meet in Pakistan
Foreign ministers of Saudi, Turkey and Egypt will visit Pakistan on March 29 and 30 to discuss the West Asia conflict
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif held a call lasting over an hour to discuss ongoing regional hostilities and efforts to restore peace, according to the Pakistan PM Office.
During the conversation, as reported by Reuters, Pezeshkian stressed that mutual trust is essential for meaningful dialogue and praised Islamabad’s constructive role in promoting peace, while Sharif briefed him on Pakistan’s diplomatic outreach to the United States and Gulf countries aimed at de-escalation.
Earlier, Pakistan government informed on X that it will host Saudi, Turkey, Egypt for talks on Mideast war, from March 29 to 30. As per an official release posted by Pakistan's deputy PM and foreign minister Ishaq Dar on his X account, the visiting foreign ministers will also be meeting Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during the two-day visit.
"At the invitation of the Deputy Prime Minister/foreign minister, senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, the foreign minister of Saudi Arabia, H.H. Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud; the foreign minister of Turkey, H.E. Hakan Fidan; and the foreign minister of Egypt, H.E. Dr. Badr Abdelatty, will visit Islamabad from 29–30 March 2026," read the release.
Track Iran war news LIVE updates
While the Gulf nations will be part of the Islamabad summit, there is no news on whether the United States or Iran would be part of the meeting.
"During the visit, the foreign ministers will hold in-depth discussions on a range of issues, including efforts to de-escalate tensions in the region. The visiting dignitaries will also call on the Prime Minister," the release further said.
The news of the foreign ministers of Saudi, Turkey and Egypt comes after Pakistan showed interest in hosting the peace talks between Iran and the US and Israel, on March 24. The Pakistan PM had tweeted that Islamabad was ready to host talks for settlement of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
“Pakistan welcomes and fully supports ongoing efforts to pursue dialogue to end the WAR in Middle East, in the interest of peace and stability in region and beyond. Subject to concurrence by the US and Iran, Pakistan stands ready and honoured to be the host to facilitate meaningful and conclusive talks for a comprehensive settlement of the ongoing conflict,” read Shariff's X post.
The US President Donald Trump had even acknowledged the post by Sharif on his Truth Social account by publishing a screenshot of the tweet by the Pakistani PM.
However, The White House had downplayed the news of the talks between the US and Iran being faciliated by Pakistan. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt had said "no meeting should be considered final until officially announced," emphasising that the US will not negotiate through the press in such a fluid diplomatic situation, as per ANI.
