Pakistan to keep pushing US and Iran toward talks, Dar says

ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Tuesday that Pakistan will keep trying to bring the United States and Iran back to negotiations, warning that widening conflicts and weakening enforcement of international law are making the world less stable.

Speaking at the opening of the Margalla Dialogue 2026 in Islamabad, a conference on the changing global order, Dar said Pakistan's experience had strengthened its belief that channels of communication must stay open even during sharp confrontation. Closing them, he said, makes the next crisis harder to contain and peace harder to reach.

He cited talks between the US and Iran held in Islamabad in April, and a memorandum of understanding signed on 18 June, which he described as a basis for further negotiations.

Dar said he had been in constant contact with Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt through a four-country regional group, and that the group had consulted Britain, France, Germany and Italy on 23 October.

"Pakistan, with regional partners and relevant parties, is continuing all diplomatic efforts so that contacts remain, negotiations resume and the parties can return to the table," he said.

The remarks come as Islamabad tries to hold on to a mediating role between Washington and Tehran, with concern growing about possible disruption to energy shipments and maritime trade through the Gulf and the Red Sea. Pakistan's position is that military confrontation could set off a wider economic crisis, hitting developing countries that import food and fuel.

He warned that rivalry between major powers, long conflicts and the weakening of arms control agreements were raising the risk of miscalculation and dangerous decisions, and that political divisions were weakening multilateral institutions, especially the United Nations.

"The selective application of international law further erodes trust in the institutions set up to ensure respect for those same laws," he said. When agreed rules are not applied the same way to everyone, their credibility suffers and every country becomes less safe, he added.

Dar said Pakistan supports a multipolar order in which more countries have effective representation, but added that spreading global power does not by itself guarantee justice or stability unless institutions work and agreed principles are honoured.

He tied security to the economy, saying conflicts can quickly affect trade, technology, energy supplies and access to finance. "A security crisis can turn into an economic shock," he said. "Food and fuel prices can rise, as we are seeing now. That can put livelihoods at risk and add pressure on public services."

He said Pakistan would keep strengthening ties with China, the United States, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and other countries, and would continue economic diplomacy to attract investment, raise exports and build technical skills. He restated Pakistan's position on Kashmir, the Indus Waters Treaty and security threats arising from Afghanistan.

Regional stability depends on respect for international agreements and the peaceful settlement of disputes, he said. "Pakistan will make its decisions keeping in view its responsibility to protect its sovereignty, the welfare of its people and its role in building a more peaceful and just world."