US-Iran deal: Pakistan's diplomatic masterstroke?
Key takeaways
- By stepping in as mediator in the Iran war, Pakistan has managed to elevate its status from a regional player to a global diplomatic stakeholder — with a little help from China and its friends in the Gulf.
- "It gave Pakistan more diplomatic weight and international support going into the mediation role," she added.
- Islamabad also boasts close ties with China — not an easy feat on a continent increasingly shaped by the Washington-Beijing rivalry.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
By stepping in as mediator in the Iran war, Pakistan has managed to elevate its status from a regional player to a global diplomatic stakeholder — with a little help from China and its friends in the Gulf.
https://p.dw.com/p/5Fr1KPakistan's PM Shehbaz Sharif (center) shakes hands with Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi (left) as Pakistan's army chief Asim Munir (right) looks on Image: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/KEYSTONE/dpa/picture alliance Advertisement The US-Iran deal, serving as foundation for the ongoing talks in Switzerland, marks a crucial diplomatic achievement for Pakistan, perhaps the most significant in the country's modern history.
"Pakistan was not only able to effectively leverage its relations with Tehran and growing closeness to Washington but also its network of regional partners like Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey," Farwa Aamer, director of South Asia Initiatives at the Asia Society Policy Institute in New York, told DW.