ISLAMABAD: Iran has asked Pakistan to continue helping de-escalate tensions in the Middle East and support efforts to preserve a fragile ceasefire, Islamabad said on Monday, hours before US President Donald Trump announced what he described as an understanding between Israel and Hezbollah to halt hostilities in Lebanon.
The developments highlighted the increasingly fragile state of regional diplomacy after weeks of renewed fighting involving Israel, Hezbollah, Iran and the United States, with concerns mounting that escalating violence in Lebanon could undermine broader ceasefire efforts linked to the Iran-US conflict.
Pakistan has emerged as a key intermediary between Washington and Tehran during the crisis, hosting negotiations and relaying messages between the two sides in efforts to prevent a wider regional war. Islamabad has also repeatedly argued that stability in Lebanon is closely linked to the durability of the wider ceasefire framework.
According to Pakistan’s Foreign Office, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi spoke by telephone with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar to discuss the regional situation and recent developments.
“FM Araghchi also appreciated Pakistan’s constructive role in regional diplomacy and requested Pakistan to continue using its good offices to help facilitate de-escalation in the current situation and support efforts to maintain the ceasefire,” the Foreign Office said in a statement.
Pakistan said Dar conveyed Islamabad’s “serious concern” over recent developments, including reported ceasefire violations in Lebanon, and stressed the importance of preventing the collapse of existing understandings.
“DPM / FM conveyed Pakistan’s serious concern and emphasized the importance of ensuring that the ceasefire is sustained in order to prevent any breakdown of existing understandings,” the statement said.
The call came amid growing uncertainty over indirect negotiations between Tehran and Washington after Iranian media reported that Iran had suspended exchanges with mediators involved in talks with the United States.
Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported that Tehran had halted “dialogues and exchange of texts through mediators” because of Israel’s ongoing military operations in Lebanon and Gaza and its advance into southern Lebanon. According to Iranian media, Tehran is demanding an immediate halt to Israeli military actions and a withdrawal from newly occupied Lebanese territory before talks can resume.
Hours after the Pakistan-Iran call, Trump said he had held separate contacts with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and representatives of Hezbollah and secured commitments from both sides to stop attacks.
“I had a very productive call with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, of Israel, and there will be no Troops going to Beirut,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. He added that Hezbollah had agreed “that all shooting will stop — That Israel will not attack them, and they will not attack Israel.”
Trump’s comments came after a day of escalating tensions in Lebanon. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had earlier ordered strikes on Hezbollah targets in Beirut’s southern suburbs, while Hezbollah launched attacks on Israeli positions in northern Israel and southern Lebanon.
Iranian state media separately reported that Araghchi also held a telephone conversation with Pakistan’s Chief of Defense Forces, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, on regional developments and ceasefire-related issues.
Pakistan has played an increasingly prominent diplomatic role since the conflict erupted in February following joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran and Tehran’s subsequent military response. Islamabad helped facilitate a temporary ceasefire announced in April and later hosted talks between American and Iranian officials aimed at reaching a longer-term settlement and reopening key energy shipping routes, including the Strait of Hormuz.
The ceasefire has largely held since April despite repeated flare-ups, but negotiations on a permanent agreement have stalled over issues including Iran’s nuclear program, sanctions relief, maritime security and disagreements over whether Lebanon falls within the scope of broader ceasefire arrangements.
Iranian media also warned on Monday that Tehran and its regional allies could increase pressure on strategic maritime routes, including the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab Al-Mandab Strait, if hostilities continue, raising fresh concerns about global energy supplies and shipping.
