Rubio thanks Pakistan for Iran mediation efforts

Rubio Meets Pakistan’s Dar, Praises Iran Mediation Role

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar at the State Department on Friday, with discussions centering on Pakistan’s role mediating the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict and the broader bilateral relationship between Washington and Islamabad.reutersconnect

Iran Talks at the Forefront

The meeting came as U.S.-Iran peace negotiations, hosted by Pakistan, have reached a delicate stage. The first round of talks in Pakistan ended without a formal agreement, but sources told Reuters that Tehran and Washington had tentatively agreed to extend a ceasefire established in April and to ease shipping restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz. The State Department published a readout of the meeting on Friday, and Pakistan’s foreign ministry said the discussions would cover “Pakistan’s initiatives to foster regional peace and stability through dialogue and diplomacy”.reuters

Rubio thanked Pakistan for what U.S. officials described as sincere diplomatic and mediation efforts in the conflict. Pakistan’s military chief had traveled to Tehran earlier this month as part of the mediation push, and a revised peace framework drafted by Qatar and Pakistan — with input from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt — is under review by Iranian officials. Key sticking points remain over the duration of a moratorium on Iran’s uranium enrichment and the governance of the Strait of Hormuz.reuters

Balochistan Attack and Bilateral Ties

Rubio also expressed condolences over a deadly attack in Pakistan’s Balochistan province. On May 24, a vehicle-borne suicide bombing targeted a shuttle train near Chaman Phatak in Quetta, killing at least 47 people — including 20 soldiers — and injuring 98 others. The Balochistan Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the attack, which struck a train carrying security personnel and their family members.wikipedia

Pakistan’s foreign ministry said Dar was in Washington to “review bilateral relations and exchange views on regional and global developments of mutual interest”. After the meeting, Dar said Pakistan is “increasingly being recognized as a peacemaking state worldwide,” according to Radio Pakistan.dawn

Pakistan’s Stance on Palestine Unchanged

Dar reiterated Pakistan’s long-held position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Pakistan has consistently called for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Al-Quds Al-Sharif (East Jerusalem) as its capital, and Dar has previously insisted at international forums that Islamabad’s stance will not shift unless there is meaningful progress toward Palestinian statehood. At a February OIC meeting, Dar demanded Israel halt measures aimed at the de facto annexation of the West Bank.evrimagaci