Pakistan delivers Iran plan to U.S.

Pakistan said it had passed a revised Iranian proposal to the United States as Islamabad tried to keep alive ceasefire diplomacy that has slowed after earlier talks. A Pakistani source told Reuters on May 18 that the latest Iranian plan had been conveyed to Washington and warned that “we don’t have much time” to narrow differences. The proposal, as reported by Reuters and republished by The Hindu, included steps tied to ending hostilities, lifting maritime pressure and resuming Iranian oil sales. ### What exactly did Pakistan deliver to Washington? A Pakistani source told Reuters on May 18 that Islamabad had shared an amended Iranian proposal with U.S. officials as part of its role passing messages between the two sides. Reuters, in a report carried by The Hindu and other outlets, said the revised framework touched on a naval blockade, guarantees against further attacks and the resumption of Iranian oil sales. (thehindu.com) Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei was identified in the Reuters-based reports as part of the wider diplomatic context around the exchange. The same reports said the latest proposal arrived while the parties were still struggling to bridge disagreements despite previous contacts. (thehindu.com) ### Why is Pakistan in the middle of the U.S.-Iran channel? Pakistan has been carrying messages between Tehran and Washington since hosting what Reuters described as the only round of peace talks last month. That has put Islamabad in the position of intermediary as the talks slowed and military tensions continued to shadow diplomacy. (thehindu.com) Al Jazeera reported on May 18 that Pakistan’s interior minister, Mohsin Naqvi, traveled to Tehran on May 16 for a two-day visit aimed at helping prevent the ceasefire process from collapsing. Al Jazeera said Pakistan was scrambling to preserve a diplomatic track even as momentum had weakened. ### What is Islamabad trying to achieve beyond the immediate talks? (english.alarabiya.net) Pakistan’s officials have linked the mediation effort to a broader push to show diplomatic weight after last year’s conflict with India. Arab News reported on May 18 that Pakistan’s U.N. ambassador, Asim Iftikhar Ahmed, said the country’s international partnerships, including its defense pact with Saudi Arabia, reflected Islamabad’s growing “global importance” after the May 2025 confrontation with India. (aljazeera.com) Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had earlier described the Saudi defense agreements as evidence of Pakistan’s resolve to defend the kingdom, according to Arab News. Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir also called the pact a milestone in Pakistan’s diplomatic success in a separate Arab News report on May 10. Those statements place the Iran channel inside a wider regional campaign by Islamabad to present itself as a security and diplomatic actor. (arabnews.pk) ### What are the limits on Pakistan’s mediation? Al Jazeera reported that Pakistan’s leverage remains constrained by the pace of the U.S.-Iran exchanges and by the risk that renewed military escalation could outrun diplomacy. A Chatham House analysis published in April said Pakistan has a direct interest in ending the conflict because of border security and energy pressures, but warned that its room to convert mediation into larger gains may be limited. (arabnews.com) A Stimson Center analysis published in 2026 said Pakistani decision-makers had invested political capital in the effort but faced structural limits in dealing with both Tehran and Washington. That assessment described Pakistan more as a facilitator than a power able to impose terms on either side. ### What happens next? Mohsin Naqvi’s Tehran trip and Pakistan’s delivery of the revised proposal leave the next move with U.S. and Iranian officials reviewing whether the amended terms can restart direct progress. (aljazeera.com) Reuters-based reports said the sides remained apart on key issues as of May 18, and Pakistani officials were still presenting themselves as the channel for further contacts. (thehindu.com) (stimson.org)