Pakistan offers to host peace talks to end US-Israeli war on Iran

ISLAMABAD/JERUSALEM/TEL AVIV (Reuters): Pakistan's prime minister said on Tuesday he was willing to host talks between the U.S. and Iran on ending the war in the Gulf, a day after President Donald Trump postponed threats to bomb Iranian power plants, saying there had ​been "productive" talks.

 

In a post on X, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan welcomed and fully supported ongoing efforts to pursue dialogue to end the war.

 

"Subject to concurrence by the U.S. and ‌Iran, Pakistan stands ready and honoured to be the host to facilitate meaningful and conclusive talks for a comprehensive settlement," he said.

 

The U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28 after saying they had failed to make enough headway in talks aimed at ending Iran's nuclear program although mediator Oman said significant progress had been made.

 

Since then, Iran has attacked countries that host U.S. bases, struck Gulf energy infrastructure and effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, conduit for a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural ​gas, creating the worst energy supply shock in history.

 

A Pakistani government source said discussions on a meeting were at an advanced stage and if it did happen, "a big 'if'", it would take place within a ​week.

Trump said on Monday the U.S. and Iran had held "very good and productive" conversations about a "complete and total resolution of hostilities in the ⁠Middle East". He said talks had begun on Sunday and continued into Monday, with Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner involved.

 

But after Trump's Truth Social comment on Monday, Iran denied that any talks had ​been held.

 

Iran's powerful parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf - the interlocutor on the Iranian side, according to an Israeli official and two other sources familiar with the matter - described reports of direct talks as "fake news".

 

Iran's foreign ministry did mention initiatives to ​reduce tensions. After he suggested to reporters that he could control the Strait of Hormuz waterway alongside Iran's supreme leader, however, the Iranian embassy in South Africa posted a wry image on X showing a

 

Trump's threat to bomb Iran's electricity plants had prompted Tehran to threaten retaliatory strikes on the electricity infrastructure of U.S. allies across the region, sending the price of benchmark Brent crude oil soaring as high as $114.43 on ​Monday morning.

 

Three senior Israeli officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Trump appeared determined to make a deal, although they ​viewed it as unlikely that Iran would agree to U.S. demands.

They said these were likely to include curbs on Iran's nuclear programme and ballistic weapons development.

 

Three senior sources in Tehran said Iran's negotiating stance had only hardened since the start of the ‌war, under the ⁠growing influence of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and that it would demand significant concessions from the U.S.

 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who spoke to Trump less than 48 hours before their countries began the war, was expected to convene security officials for talks on Trump's bid for a deal with Iran, two senior Israeli officials said.

 

On the ground, there were no signs of conflict abating in the Gulf or Lebanon, where Israel is carrying out a parallel operation against the militant group Hezbollah, which has fired at Israel in support of its patron Iran.

 

Defence Minister Israel Katz said Israel now planned to occupy southern Lebanon up to the Litani River - about a tenth of the country. ​He said there could be no homes or residents in ​areas where there was "terror", an apparent reference to Hezbollah.