Pakistan mediates US‑Iran talks

Pakistan is now doing more than offering vague “good offices.” It is carrying messages between Washington and Tehran in a live negotiation over war, shipping lanes, and Iran’s nuclear program. That matters because the fighting that began with the U.S. campaign against Iran on February 28 has not fully ended — it has only been paused, and the pause is shaky. The new thing is concrete: on May 10, Iran sent its reply to a U.S. proposal through Pakistan, which means Islamabad is functioning as a real intermediary, not just a bystander. ### What changed this weekend? Iran delivered its latest answer to Washington through Pakistani mediators, and Pakistani officials then passed that response on to the U.S. side. The broad shape of the exchange is now clearer: Tehran wants the current phase to focus first on ending hostilities and securing maritime traffic, especially in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. (english.alarabiya.net) ### Why is Pakistan in the middle? Because Pakistan talks to both sides and, crucially, already proved it could help freeze the shooting. On April 8, a temporary ceasefire took hold after Islamabad helped broker a two-week pause between the U.S., Israel, and Iran. That gave Pakistan something rare in this crisis — credibility with both camps at the exact moment each needed an off-ramp. (english.alarabiya.net) ### What is the U.S. actually asking for? The reported U.S. draft is not a small confidence-building note. It is a 14-point proposal that would require Iran to stop all uranium enrichment for 12 years and hand over its estimated 440kg stockpile enriched to 60%. In exchange, Washington would gradually ease sanctions, release frozen Iranian assets, and end the naval blockade of Iranian ports. (dw.com) ### What is Iran trying to do? Iran seems to be narrowing the first round to the pieces that can stop immediate damage — ceasefire terms, maritime security, and regional spillover, especially Lebanon. But Tehran also bundled in bigger issues like sanctions and the nuclear file, which tells you it does not want a narrow truce that leaves the core pressure points untouched. (aljazeera.com) ### Why does Hormuz keep showing up? Because the Strait of Hormuz is the pressure valve. The latest diplomacy is partly about getting traffic moving safely again while negotiators argue over the harder political terms. One sign of why that matters: a QatarEnergy-operated LNG carrier made it through the strait to Pakistan’s Port Qasim after gas disruptions had contributed to blackouts in Pakistan. That is the kind of practical relief a mediator can point to when selling de-escalation. (english.alarabiya.net) ### Is Washington happy with Iran’s reply? Not really. Trump said he had read the response and called it “totally unacceptable,” which is a reminder that message-passing is not the same thing as breakthrough. But the fact that both sides are still using the Pakistani channel suggests neither wants to slam the door yet. That is often what diplomacy looks like in the middle — public rejection, private continuation. (english.alarabiya.net) ### Why does this matter beyond Pakistan? Because Islamabad is turning a one-off truce role into durable leverage. If Pakistan remains the trusted courier for ceasefire sequencing, shipping security, and early nuclear terms, it gains influence with Washington, Tehran, and Gulf states without formally joining anyone’s camp. That is hedging, basically — but effective hedging can shape outcomes. (aljazeera.com) ### So what is the real bottom line? Pakistan’s role matters because the war has moved into the dangerous in-between stage — too active to be over, too negotiated to be purely military. Islamabad is useful precisely because it can carry proposals while everyone else keeps posturing. If this channel holds, Pakistan will not just be hosting diplomacy. It will be structuring the first steps of whatever comes next. (english.alarabiya.net) (dw.com)