A high-level United States delegation led by Vice President JD Vance was twice on the verge of travelling to Islamabad for direct talks with Iranian officials over the past ten days, but both attempts fell through after Tehran requested more time for consultations, a senior government official revealed on background.
“The US delegation was all ready to depart for Islamabad in the last few days. We were very close-twice within the last ten days-to hosting a critical meeting. Unfortunately, on both occasions, Iran reconsidered,” the official said.
According to the official, Pakistan has positioned itself as a willing facilitator to ease hostilities between Washington and Tehran, actively offering to host direct talks between the two sides.
While the United States had indicated readiness to engage, Iran appeared more cautious, weighing the risks of entering negotiations amid the current regional situation. The official expressed disappointment over Tehran’s reluctance to move forward.
Pakistan had explored direct high-level engagement with Iran. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, along with senior military leadership, had been prepared to visit Tehran for talks, including a potential meeting with Iran’s supreme leadership. However, the visit did not materialise due to Iran’s hesitation, citing security concerns and domestic public sentiment.
Pakistan’s diplomatic posture-particularly its criticism of Israel’s actions-has also created friction with some Gulf countries. This was evident during a key meeting held in Riyadh on March 19.
Ahead of the meeting, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar were engaged in a bilateral discussion when Fidan received a call from his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi. Dar later joined the conversation, during which Araghchi urged both countries to ensure that the joint statement from the meeting remained balanced and did not disproportionately criticise Iran.
During the meeting, a draft communiqué circulated among participants largely attributed the escalation to Iran. Pakistan strongly objected to the wording, arguing that it failed to address the root causes of the crisis, particularly Israel’s actions.
“Pakistan insisted that any statement must be balanced and must not ignore the underlying issues,” the official said.
Following several hours of negotiations, Pakistan succeeded in securing key amendments, resulting in a more nuanced and less accusatory final statement.
However, Islamabad’s stance reportedly did not sit well with all participants, with some countries viewing Pakistan’s position as overly sympathetic to Iran.
The official further noted that Pakistan has remained cautious about supporting any military or security initiatives that could heighten tensions. Islamabad opposed proposals that could lead to the formation of a multinational task force in the Strait of Hormuz, describing such a move as potentially provocative.