Pakistan, Qatar Push to Halt US-Iran Hostilities and Restart Talks

Islamabad, MINA – Pakistan and Qatar have made fresh contacts with the US and Iran to halt further military strikes and return to negotiations as per agreement, Pakistani government sources told Anadolu on Thursday.

A source close to the mediation process said Pakistan, together with Qatar, is in touch with Washington and Tehran to persuade the two sides to end hostilities and return to negotiations as per agreement.

The source was referring to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, signed by the US and Iranian presidents last month, which gave the two sides 60 days to finalize a pact to permanently end their months-long war.

The development came after a fresh round of strikes and counter-strikes by the two sides following an Iranian missile attack on a commercial ship in the Strait of Hormuz.

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US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the Islamabad MoU was over. Pakistan, however, remains confident that the Islamabad MoU will stay intact despite renewed hostilities, according to the sources.

The source said what is happening right now is not unexpected as the issues between the two sides are chronic and highly complex.

However, Pakistan is confident that the ongoing situation will not escalate into a full-fledged war, adding that both sides fully understand that a full-scale war is not in their interest. The source also said one should not rule out further skirmishes in the future considering the nature of issues between the two sides.

Before the latest round of hostilities, US and Iranian negotiators were set to meet in Islamabad for technical talks in a week or two, according to the sources.

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The source said the situation is different now and the mediators’ first priority is to persuade both sides to halt hostilities first. The source added, however, that Islamabad is hopeful about hosting the next round of technical talks soon.

Sources acknowledged that Israeli hostilities in southern Lebanon, where Israel has waged military operations, are the key factor behind non-implementation of the Islamabad MoU. The source said Iran is adamant that it will fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz only after the implementation of a ceasefire and withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon. Washington is of the view that already settled issues must not be overlapped by pending ones, the sources said.[]

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)

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