Pakistan hosts top Saudi, Turkish, Egyptian diplomats over war in Iran

Talks are under way in Islamabad, as the Pakistani government acts as mediator between the US and Iran.Top diplomats from Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkiye have gathered in Islamabad for two-day talks with their Pakistani counterpart on the US-Israel war on Iran, seeking to de-escalate the conflict.The talks on Sunday and Monday are being led by Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who announced late on Saturday that Iran had allowed “20 more ships” under the Pakistani flag, or two ships daily, to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4‘A welcome gesture’: Pakistan seals Iran deal to send ships through Hormuzlist 2 of 4At least 15 US troops wounded in Iran strike on Saudi airbase: Reportslist 3 of 4Iran warns neighbours not to let ‘enemies run the war’ from their landlist 4 of 4Yemen’s Houthis enter Iran war as bloodshed mounts daily across regionend of listPakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also said on Saturday that he had a “detailed telephone conversation with my brother President Masoud Pezeshkian of Iran earlier today, lasting over one hour”, as part of preparations for the Islamabad talks.Al Jazeera’s Kamal Kyder, reporting from Islamabad, said Pakistan has been acting as “a key interlocutor” between the United States and Iran, passing messages between the two sides as part of the mediation efforts.“The gathering in Islamabad, what many people say, is the beginning of a critical process that includes the only viable option: diplomacy and dialogue,” he said.“A difficult process, given the escalation, so all eyes will be on Islamabad – what consensus can be reached here, and whether that will be acceptable to the US, whether it is looking for a way out of this war or whether it is trying to buy time,” he added.Pezeshkian hailed Islamabad’s efforts and “thanked Pakistan for its mediation efforts to stop the aggression against the Islamic republic”, according to his office.The pair have spoken previously in recent weeks about the conflict and Pakistan’s commitment to bringing it to an end.