Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, said on Tuesday that his country is willing to host peace talks between the United States and Iran in a bid to end the ongoing war in the Middle East.
In a post on X, Sharif said Pakistan welcomes and fully supports ongoing diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the conflict, coming a day after U.S. President Donald Trump postponed threats to bomb Iranian power plants following what he described as “productive” discussions.
Trump said the United States and Iran had held “very good and productive” conversations about a “complete and total resolution of hostilities in the Middle East.” According to him, talks began on Sunday and continued into Monday, involving Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner.
However, Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, denied that any talks had taken place, describing the claims as “fake news.”
The United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28 after saying negotiations to curb Iran’s nuclear programme had not made enough progress, although mediator Oman said significant progress had been achieved.
Since the strikes began, Iran has retaliated by attacking countries hosting U.S. bases, striking Gulf energy infrastructure, and effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz, a key route that handles about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supply.
