Pakistan quietly mediates between the US and Iran over Hormuz and nuclear talks

Pakistan quietly mediates between the US and Iran over Hormuz and nuclear talks

Event date: 2026-04-29

Pakistan is working quietly to help break the deadlock between the United States and Iran, using back-channel diplomacy focused on the Strait of Hormuz and Tehran’s nuclear programme, according to the evidence packet. The account describes a mediation effort that has remained largely out of public view even as the wider conflict continues to unsettle energy markets and regional diplomacy.

The source material says both sides are still exchanging formulae and counter-formulae through Pakistani channels. It also says Islamabad is trying to find a “middle way” that could allow an agreement to move forward, though no details of the proposals were provided. The packet makes clear that the talks remain unsettled and that the current exchanges are ongoing.

Pakistan’s role is not limited to passive relay. The evidence says Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir are personally involved in the mediation process. It adds that Munir has spoken to U.S. President Donald Trump several times in recent weeks, underscoring how directly Pakistan’s security leadership has been drawn into the effort.

The latest reported push comes after two visits to Islamabad by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi last week. According to the packet, Tehran has floated a new proposal through Pakistan that would end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for the United States lifting its blockade of Iranian ports. The same source says Iran wants nuclear talks postponed until a later round of discussions, a step Washington has not shown much interest in accepting so far.

The Strait of Hormuz is central to the negotiations because it remains tied to both security and trade. The packet says Iran wants the waterway discussion handled first because it is easier to resolve, while the United States wants agreement on both the maritime and nuclear issues at the same time. That difference in sequencing appears to be one of the main reasons the talks are stalled.

The evidence also places the diplomacy within a wider regional framework. Pakistan hosted the first round of negotiations between Washington and Tehran on April 11-12, but those talks failed to produce an agreement to end the war. A two-week ceasefire brokered by Pakistan on April 8 was later extended by Trump, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Islamabad’s diplomatic efforts were continuing consistently.

The packet portrays both sides as trying to shape domestic and international perceptions while the ceasefire holds. Pakistani sources quoted in the evidence say neither side is eager to restart the war, despite hard-hitting public statements and reports of a U.S. military buildup in the Middle East.