Pakistan scrambles to salvage US-Iran diplomacy as ceasefire faces collapse

Islamabad, Pakistan – Pakistan has rejected allegations that it had sheltered Iranian subject craft from imaginable United States strikes arsenic the fragile ceasefire it helped broker betwixt Washington and Tehran appears progressively astatine risk.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs connection connected Tuesday came hours aft US President Donald Trump said the month-old truce was connected “massive beingness support” arsenic helium dismissed Iran’s latest bid connection arsenic “a portion of garbage” that helium had not adjacent finished reading.

Recommended Stories

• list 1 of 4‘Stupid’: Trump rejects Iran effect to US bid proposal
• list 2 of 4Iran says its demands were seeking peace, portion the US’s are ‘unreasonable’
• list 3 of 4‘Unacceptable’: What’s Iran’s bid connection that Trump has rejected?
• list 4 of 4Iran denies connection sent to US contains ‘excessive demands’

Trump’s remarks followed a study by CBS News connected Monday saying Iran had moved respective subject aircraft, including an RC-130 reconnaissance plane, to Pakistan Air Force Base Nur Khan adjacent Rawalpindi aft the April 8 ceasefire, perchance shielding them from US attacks.

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry connected Tuesday called the study “misleading and sensationalised”, saying the craft had arrived arsenic portion of diplomatic logistics linked to talks successful Islamabad betwixt elder US and Iranian officials connected April 11. Pakistan said some Iranian and US craft utilized the base.

“The Iranian craft presently parked successful Pakistan arrived during the ceasefire play and carnivore nary linkage whatsoever to immoderate subject contingency oregon preservation arrangement,” the ministry said.

The Foreign Ministry besides pointed retired that immoderate important overseas subject beingness astatine the basal would beryllium intolerable to hide.

“Assertions suggesting different are speculative, misleading, and wholly detached from the factual context,” it said, adding that Pakistan had “consistently acted arsenic an impartial, constructive and liable facilitator” passim the process.

Washington unease

The denials, however, person done small to calm concerns successful Washington.

Hopes for a bid woody betwixt the US and Iran and the continuation of their ceasefire person dimmed considerably since US President Donald Trump said the truce was ‘on beingness support’ and called Iran’s database of demands ‘garbage’ [Kent Nishimura/AFP]

A CNN study published hours aft the CBS communicative said immoderate Trump medication officials believed Pakistan has been sharing “a much affirmative mentation of the Iranian presumption with the US than what reflects reality” portion questioning whether Islamabad was “aggressively conveying Trump’s displeasure”.

A Pakistani authoritative told Al Jazeera that Islamabad has been arsenic nonstop with some parties arsenic immoderate neutral arbiter could beryllium due to the fact that mediation requires impartiality to win alternatively than pushing agendas.

“Objective is to resoluteness the complex, historical, highly consequential struggle alternatively than earning brownie points oregon header diplomacy,” the authoritative said, speaking connected information of anonymity due to the fact that the authoritative was not authorised to talk to the media.

US Senator Lindsey Graham, a Trump state and subordinate of his Republican Party, called for “a implicit reevaluation” of Pakistan’s mediator role, saying connected X that helium “would not beryllium shocked” if the CBS study proved accurate.

Analysts, however, said the contention was improbable to importantly harm Islamabad’s position.

“Pakistan has done much than galore had expected. Delivering a ceasefire successful an situation marred by sheer distrust was nary mean feat,” Syed Ali Zia Jaffery, lawman manager astatine the Centre for Security, Strategy and Policy Research astatine the University of Lahore, told Al Jazeera.

He said the information that some Tehran and Washington continued to trust connected Pakistan suggested the allegations would person constricted impact.

“As agelong arsenic some capitals judge that Islamabad remains a dependable facilitator and mediator, specified reportage won’t person immoderate impact. This is simply a multiparty war, which leaves a batch of country for spoilers to obfuscate things,” Jaffery said.

Talks astatine an impasse

The contiguous trigger for the latest tensions was Washington’s rejection of an Iranian peace proposal delivered done Pakistan connected Sunday.

Iranian authorities media said Tehran’s presumption included US warfare reparations, afloat Iranian sovereignty implicit the Strait of Hormuz, an extremity to sanctions and the merchandise of its frozen assets portion insisting atomic negotiations beryllium deferred to a aboriginal stage.

Trump, posting connected his Truth Social platform, described the connection arsenic “TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE”.

“I would accidental the ceasefire is connected monolithic beingness support,” helium said aboriginal successful the Oval Office, describing the concern arsenic 1 “where the doc walks successful and says, ‘Sir, your loved 1 has astir a 1 percent accidental of living.’“

Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei rejected that characterisation, calling the connection “reasonable and generous” and saying Tehran had demanded “only Iran’s morganatic rights”.

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s lead negotiator, struck a much defiant tone.

“Our equipped forces are prepared to present a lesson-giving effect to immoderate aggression,” helium wrote connected societal media connected Monday. “There is nary alternate but to judge the rights of the Iranian radical arsenic laid retired successful the 14-point proposal.”

The halfway disagreements stay unchanged.

Washington wants Iran to explicitly wantonness its nuclear programme and surrender its stockpile of uranium enriched to 60 percent, adjacent weapons-grade levels.

Tehran insisted atomic negotiations tin lone travel the lifting of sanctions and the extremity of the US naval blockade imposed connected its ports connected April 13.

Since the Islamabad talks ended without an agreement betwixt the US and Iran connected April 12, Pakistan has mostly acted arsenic an intermediary, carrying proposals betwixt the 2 sides, which person not met straight since.

On May 4, Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar spoke with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi astir Islamabad’s mediation efforts.

The aforesaid day, 22 unit members connected committee the Iranian instrumentality vessel MV Touska, which had been captured by US forces, were evacuated to Pakistan earlier being transferred to Iran successful what Islamabad described arsenic a confidence-building measurement coordinated with some sides.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi talks with Pakistani Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar and Field Marshal Asim Munir successful Islamabad, Pakistan, connected April 25, 2026 [Handout/Pakistan’s Ministry of Information via Reuters]

Qatar has besides backed the mediation effort. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani successful Miami, Florida, connected Saturday with Doha pledging enactment for “mediation efforts led by Pakistan”.

Jaffery said the ceasefire had been “practically violated” erstwhile the US imposed its naval blockade though some sides person since sought to debar a instrumentality to full-scale war.

“I bash not deliberation that kinetic engagement is imminent. What is apt to intensify is harassment and interdiction on the Strait of Hormuz,” helium said.

Muhanad Seloom, a nonresident elder chap astatine the Middle East Council connected Global Affairs, agreed.

What is apt successful the adjacent fewer days, helium said, “is constrictive kinetic action, apt against IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] assets harassing Hormuz traffic, calibrated truthful Iran tin sorb it without striking US bases successful the Gulf”.

Seloom pointed to caller comments from US Energy Secretary Chris Wright connected going “back to the subject method to unfastened the strait”. That, the expert told Al Jazeera, revealed that the US was looking astatine “a Hormuz operation, not authorities confrontation”.

The roadworthy ahead

Trump is expected to sermon the Iran situation with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a sojourn to Beijing this week arsenic Washington hopes Beijing could usage its power with Tehran. China is Iran’s biggest economical and strategical partner.

Araghchi met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi last week successful Beijing, wherever China reaffirmed its “strategic partnership” with Iran portion calling for a diplomatic solution.

The Iranian overseas curate is besides expected to be a gathering of BRICS overseas ministers successful India connected Thursday and Friday alongside the apical diplomats of Saudi Arabia and Egypt, some progressive successful backchannel diplomacy.

“Trump is going to Beijing successful a weaker position,” Jaffery said, adding that China was improbable to resoluteness Washington’s Strait of Hormuz dilemma.

On Araghchi’s diplomatic outreach, helium said, Tehran was seeking “a buy-in for a broad-based agreement, not a ceasefire”.

Pakistan’s importance, helium argued, would stay intact careless of which diplomatic channels emerged.

“Both sides coordinate and consult with it,” helium said.

Seloom said the expanding fig of countries getting progressive successful the mediation was amended for the prospects of peace.

“For the ceasefire, this is really stabilising. More parties with tegument successful the crippled rise the outgo of illness for everyone,” helium said.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said successful an interrogation with the CBS News programme 60 Minutes that aired connected Sunday that Israel viewed the struggle arsenic unresolved.

If Iran’s atomic worldly could not beryllium removed done negotiations, helium said, Israel and the US agreed “we tin re-engage them militarily”.

Former Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani offered a starker appraisal successful remarks to Al Jazeera connected Monday.

The weaponisation of the Strait of Hormuz, helium said, was “the astir unsafe outcome” of the conflict, informing that the situation would outlast immoderate ceasefire.