Pakistan’s mediation faces limits as Iran-US tensions deepen
Key takeaways
- Tehran and Washington exchange proposals through Pakistan while military escalation increasingly shadows diplomatic efforts.
- Ghalibaf has also been Iran’s chief negotiator in peace talks with the US to end the war, which began on February 28.
- Tehran’s version of events, however, has sharply differed from Washington’s public posture.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Tehran and Washington exchange proposals through Pakistan while military escalation increasingly shadows diplomatic efforts.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf meets with Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, in Tehran, Iran on May 17, 2026 [Handout/Iranian Parliament Speaker Office via Reuters]By Abid Hussain Published On 18 May 202618 May 2026Islamabad, Pakistan – Pakistan is scrambling to keep channels of diplomacy open between the United States and Iran, amid escalating rhetoric from both sides, and growing signals from Washington that it is prepared to restart attacks that have been on pause since an April 8 ceasefire in the US-Israel war on Iran.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi arrived in Tehran on Saturday for a two-day visit, meeting President Masoud Pezeshkian, Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf as Islamabad scrambled to prevent ceasefire negotiations from collapsing altogether. Ghalibaf has also been Iran’s chief negotiator in peace talks with the US to end the war, which began on February 28.