As the hostilities in West Asia entered the 25th day, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he was willing to host talks between the United States (US) and Iran on ending the war.
Sharif’s comments on Tuesday came after President Donald Trump had a day earlier announced that he was postponing strikes on Iranian power plants for five days after what he referred to as “productive” talks.
In a post on X, PM Sharif said Pakistan welcomes and fully supports ongoing efforts to pursue dialogue to end the war in West Asia.
Pakistan welcomes and fully supports ongoing efforts to pursue dialogue to end the WAR in Middle East, in the interest of peace and stability in region and beyond. Subject to concurrence by the US and Iran, Pakistan stands ready and honoured to be the host to facilitate…
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) March 24, 2026
“Subject to concurrence by the US and Iran, Pakistan stands ready and honoured to be the host to facilitate meaningful and conclusive talks for a comprehensive settlement of the ongoing conflict,” he said.
Pak Army chief spoke to Trump: Report
On Monday, UK daily Financial Times had reported that Pakistan’s Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir had spoken with US President Trump, and Islamabad being a possible venue to host talks was also discussed.
Another report published in Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper said that alongside Pakistan, Turkiye and Egypt are also working behind the scenes to resolve regional tensions. The report also suggested that US envoy Steven Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi were part of the talks.
What Trump said
Trump had on Monday said that the US and Iran had held “very good and productive” conversations about a “complete and total resolution of hostilities in the Middle East”. He said talks had begun on Sunday and continued into Monday, with Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner involved.
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Iran parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf – the interlocutor on the Iranian side, according to an Israeli official and two other sources familiar with the matter – said no talks had taken place, describing suggestions that they had taken place as “fake news”. The Iranian foreign ministry and state media had also refuted Trump’s assertion of talks.
The US and Israel launched co-ordinated strikes on Iran on February 28, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with other senior military and political leaders. Washington and Tel Aviv claimed that talks with Tehran to end its nuclear programme had failed to make enough headway. Oman, which was playing the role of a mediator, said significant progress had been made.
Since then, Iran has attacked countries that host US bases, struck Gulf energy infrastructure and effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a key maritime chokepoint for a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas. Israel and the US have also continued strikes on Iran.
