Overview
- Pakistan’s Foreign Office says Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will attend a March 18–19 foreign ministers’ meeting in Riyadh to call for an immediate end to hostilities and to endorse the territorial integrity of regional states.
- Dar expanded outreach with calls and meetings involving Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Azerbaijan’s Jeyhun Bayramov, and the acting US chargé d’affaires Zachary Harkenrider to push de-escalation and sustained dialogue.
- Iran’s ambassador in Islamabad, Reza Amiri, met Dar and conveyed gratitude for Pakistan’s support, as Islamabad reiterated that diplomacy remains the only viable path to stability.
- Following a Pakistani death in Abu Dhabi linked to a missile interception, Dar directed tighter coordination across government and missions, with a crisis unit activated, advisories issued, and facilitation of returns for nationals transiting via Azerbaijan.
- Officials signal readiness to help mediate between rivals as the conflict widens with reported Israeli strikes on senior Iranian figures, Iranian missile launches, US strikes on Iranian sites, and disruptions to shipping and air travel across the Gulf.