Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Tuesday that the United States and Iran appear to be moving closer to an arrangement, pointing to renewed diplomatic momentum towards ending their conflict.
Speaking in an interview with Bloomberg News in Islamabad, Asif said signals emerging over the past few days suggested that prospects for an agreement had improved.
“Things are shaping up again in favour of a peace arrangement or a deal,” Asif said. “The signals in the last two three days are that we are close to some sort of an arrangement.”
The defence minister said a lasting peace agreement would benefit the wider region, which has faced months of military confrontation and disruption to trade and energy supplies.
His comments come amid fresh indications of progress in mediation efforts involving Pakistan, Qatar and Oman. Qatar has said negotiations concerning arrangements for shipping through the Strait of Hormuz have reached an advanced stage.
Washington and Tehran are not currently negotiating directly, with messages instead being exchanged through intermediaries as mediators attempt to bridge remaining differences.
Pakistan has played an active mediating role in efforts to bring the two sides back towards negotiations, alongside Qatar and Oman.
The latest diplomatic signals have also affected global markets, with oil prices responding to expectations that progress towards an agreement could eventually ease disruptions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz.