ISLAMABAD: Saudi and Pakistani interior ministers discussed latest security developments in the Middle East, the Pakistani interior ministry said on Thursday, as renewed friction between Washington and Tehran raised concerns over stability in the Gulf.
The development came as Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they targeted a US air base after Washington carried out what it said were strikes targeting an Iranian drone operation near the Strait of Hormuz.
The escalation in hostilities highlighted threats to the tenuous ceasefire between the US and Iran that took effect in early April, dampening hopes for a peace deal and sending oil prices surging again.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi held a meeting with his Saudi counterpart Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud, during which they held detailed discussions on security and bilateral relations.
“Both interior ministers also discussed the latest situation in the region,” the Pakistan interior ministry said. “Saudi Arabia’s interior minister appreciated Pakistan’s positive role in reducing tensions.”
Pakistan, a key mediator in talks between the US and Iran, has led a diplomatic push to end the conflict which broke out on Feb. 28 with US and Israeli strikes on Iran and has seen Tehran attack Gulf countries in retaliation.
Saudi Arabia, China, Qatar, Türkiye and several other states have backed Islamabad’s efforts to end the crisis that has disrupted global cargo and energy supplies through the Strait of Hormuz.
Pakistan hosted the first round of US-Iran talks in April and has stepped up mediation efforts to revive the stalled talks in recent weeks, though Trump dismissed an Iranian state TV report that it had obtained an unofficial draft of an agreement to restore commercial shipping through the strait to prewar levels within a month, with Iran and Oman jointly managing traffic.
Trump said no single country would have control over the waterway, and appeared to threaten Oman, a country with which the US has decades-long military and economic ties.
“Nobody’s going to control (the strait),” Trump said. “It’s international waters and Oman will behave just like everybody else or we’ll have to blow them up. They understand that, they’ll be fine.”
Tehran condemned the US attack on Bandar Abbas, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said in a statement on Thursday.
Iran also expressed solidarity with Oman after “US officials’ threats”, Baghaei added.
Trump added that he was not yet satisfied on a deal with Iran and the US was not discussing easing sanctions on the country.
The Iranian TV report of a framework deal said the United States would also lift its blockade of Iranian ports and withdraw military forces from Iran’s vicinity. It did not mention Iran’s nuclear program, which the US wants disbanded.
