Overview
- Ishaq Dar met U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington this week and the State Department publicly thanked Pakistan for its constructive role in shuttle mediation between Washington and Tehran.
- Pakistan says it will not normalise ties with Israel unless an independent Palestinian state is created on pre‑1967 borders with Al Quds as its capital, a red line Dar repeated to reporters and at the United Nations.
- Pakistani officials insist on secrecy about mediation work while media reports point to a near‑agreement to extend a ceasefire and reopen the Strait of Hormuz that still lacks President Trump’s formal approval.
- Pakistan’s mediation has elevated Islamabad’s diplomatic profile and leverage by involving both civilian and military channels and by drawing public backing from China.
- A deal to ease Hormuz restrictions would carry global energy and trade consequences, and U.S. pressure to link any Iran agreement to wider Israel normalisation adds political uncertainty to the outcome.