ISLAMABAD: Pakistani and Irani foreign ministers on Friday discussed escalating tensions in Lebanon as diplomatic efforts to cement a United States-Iran peace agreement gathered momentum, the Pakistani foreign ministry said, with both sides expressing concern over Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon.
Mediators were scrambling to halt the fighting between Israel and Lebanese group Hezbollah, after a heavy exchange on Friday killed at least 47 people in Lebanon and four Israeli soldiers.
Hezbollah and Israel went to war just days after the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, with Hezbollah firing rockets and drones at civilian communities in northern Israel and Israel seizing large swaths of southern Lebanon.
An interim US-Iran agreement, signed this week, called for a halt to military operations in Lebanon, but could not see planned US-Iran talks go ahead in Switzerland due to ongoing Israeli attacks.
“The two leaders exchanged views on regional developments and highlighted the ceasefire violations conducted by Israel in Lebanon, expressing serious concern over the situation,” Pakistan’s foreign ministry said, following a telephonic conversation between FM Ishaq Dar and Iran’s Abbas Araghchi.
“Both sides agreed on the importance of continued engagement and agreed to remain in close contact.”
The interim US-Iran agreement has already reopened the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran had closed as the war unfolded, and envisages the relaunch of talks on Iran’s nuclear program, a core issue in the war.
Neither Israel nor Hezbollah are signatories to the deal. With the fighting continuing, the accord is under threat.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to keep Israeli forces in southern Lebanon until any threat to Israel is eliminated. Hezbollah has refused to halt its attacks unless Israel commits to withdrawing from Lebanon, which Iran says is also a condition of the deal.
Iranian officials did not travel to Switzerland, insisting that the fighting in Lebanon must stop before the talks can take place. US Vice President JD Vance also postponed his trip.
On Saturday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told the semi-official ISNA news agency that Pakistan’s interior minister was to arrive in Iran as part of continued negotiation efforts. Baghaei had said earlier that consultations through mediators were ongoing regarding the next phase of negotiations to draft a final US-Iran agreement.
Because the initial deal was signed digitally earlier this week, the talks in Switzerland were not urgent, and plans were underway to hold a meeting in the coming days, he said.
