Pakistan says regional backing is growing for its plan to host US-Iran talks

# Pakistan says regional backing is growing for its plan to host US-Iran talks

Pakistan says support is building for its offer to broker and host talks between the United States and Iran, according to AFP reporting carried by France 24 on the event date.

The proposal is framed as an attempt to turn a regional war into a diplomatic track. Pakistan’s government said it was ready to host “meaningful talks” aimed at ending the conflict, and it now says the idea has attracted backing from the United Nations and China as well as other partners. That matters because mediation efforts become far more plausible when multiple players treat them as legitimate rather than symbolic.

AFP said the statement came from Islamabad and that Pakistan was positioning itself as an intermediary. The country has a long-standing interest in regional stability because conflict in the Middle East affects energy prices, trade routes and domestic politics. By stepping forward, Pakistan is also signalling that it wants to be seen as a constructive regional actor rather than a passive observer.

Support from the UN and China, if sustained, would strengthen the diplomatic proposal, but the article does not suggest that formal talks have begun. That is an important distinction. A mediation framework can gather endorsements without producing direct engagement. Still, if Washington and Tehran both view the channel as useful, Pakistan’s role could become more than rhetorical.

The language in the AFP report is notable for how carefully it avoids overclaiming. Pakistan said it was ready to broker and host talks; it did not claim that either side had committed to attend. That makes the initiative a political opening rather than a deal. In war diplomacy, that is still meaningful, especially when open contact between adversaries is limited.

The timing also makes sense. As the conflict widens, states around the region face pressure to prevent a wider crisis that could disrupt shipping, energy exports and domestic security. A mediator does not need to solve the whole conflict to be useful; it only needs to create a space where both sides can test what a pause or de-escalation might look like.

Pakistan’s approach is likely to appeal to governments that want a non-Western diplomatic track. Its geography, relations with Gulf states and ties with China give it a profile that differs from direct US or European engagement. The country is using that position to argue that it can facilitate “meaningful talks,” the phrase AFP quoted from Islamabad.

Whether that will produce results is another matter. Public support from the UN and China can help, but success will depend on whether Washington and Tehran decide that there is something to gain from sitting down. For now, Pakistan’s message is that the idea is no longer isolated. It is being treated as a live diplomatic option.