Pakistan and Qatar have stepped up diplomatic efforts to persuade the United States and Iran to halt further military action and return to negotiations under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), Pakistani government sources told Anadolu on Thursday.
According to a source familiar with the mediation process, “Pakistan, together with Qatar, is in touch with Washington and Tehran to persuade the two sides to end hostilities and return to negotiations as per agreement.”
The source was referring to the Islamabad MoU, signed by the US and Iranian presidents last month, which provided a 60-day framework for both sides to negotiate a permanent end to months of conflict.
The renewed diplomatic push comes after fresh exchanges of military strikes following Iran’s missile attack on a commercial vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump declared that the Islamabad MoU was “over.”
Despite the latest escalation, Pakistani officials remain optimistic that the agreement can still be preserved.
“What is happening right now is not unexpected as the issues between the two sides are chronic and highly complex,” the source said, adding that Pakistan does not expect the situation to escalate into a full-scale war.
“Both sides fully understand that a full-scale war is not in their interest,” the source said, while cautioning that further skirmishes could not be ruled out given the longstanding tensions between Washington and Tehran.