Pakistan Hosts Regional Powers for Iran Talks, Focus on Hormuz Proposals

Reuters

] Foreign Ministers Badr Abdelatty of Egypt, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud of Saudi Arabia, Ishaq Dar of Pakistan and Hakan Fidan of Türkiye.

Pakistan hosted talks with Türkiye, Egypt and Saudi Arabia on Sunday as part of efforts to broker an end to the war involving Iran, with initial discussions focusing on proposals to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping, Reuters reported.

Foreign ministers from the three regional powers arrived in Islamabad for the talks as Iran warned the United States against launching a ground offensive, while global oil prices surged amid continued fighting involving Iran, the United States and Israel.

According to five sources familiar with the matter, the countries meeting in Pakistan have put forward proposals to Washington concerning maritime traffic and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, as part of broader efforts to stabilise shipping flows.

The Strait of Hormuz had previously served as a key transit route for around one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies. However, Iran has effectively halted shipping through the strait in response to U.S. and Israeli air strikes that began a month ago.

Pakistan, which, like Türkiye, shares a border with Iran, has leveraged its close ties with both Tehran and Washington to position itself as a key diplomatic channel in the conflict, while Ankara and Cairo have also played significant roles.

A Pakistani source said that proposals, including some put forward by Egypt, had been submitted to the White House ahead of Sunday’s meeting, including models based on Suez Canal-style fee structures.

Two other Pakistani sources indicated that Türkiye, Egypt and Saudi Arabia were considering forming a consortium to manage oil flows through the waterway, and had invited Pakistan to participate. However, the first source noted that Islamabad has not been formally asked to join and maintains that it will not take part.

The proposed management consortium has been discussed with both the United States and Iran, according to the sources. One source added that Pakistan’s army chief, Asim Munir, has been in regular contact with U.S. Vice President JD Vance.

Neither Egypt’s nor Pakistan’s foreign ministries responded to requests for comment. The Saudi government media office and the White House also did not immediately reply.

A Turkish diplomatic source said Ankara’s priority remains securing a ceasefire.

“Ensuring the safe passage of ships could serve as an important confidence-building measure in this regard,” the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Earlier on Sunday, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held separate bilateral meetings with his Turkish and Egyptian counterparts, emphasising the importance of dialogue and sustained diplomatic engagement, according to the foreign office.

In a separate post on X, Dar said Iran had agreed to allow 20 additional Pakistani-flagged ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

Source: Reuters



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