Pakistan hosts top Saudi, Turkish, Egyptian diplomats over war in Iran | News | Al Jazeera

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Listen Listen (2 mins) Save Click here to share on social media share2 Share facebook twitter whatsapp copylink google Add Al Jazeera on Google info play video play video Video Duration 03 minutes 53 seconds play-arrow 03:53 Pakistan, Turkiye, Egypt, Saudi Arabia seek to de-escalate US-Israel war on Iran Published On 29 Mar 2026 29 Mar 2026 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 items list 1 of 4 ‘A welcome gesture’: Pakistan seals Iran deal to send ships through Hormuz list 2 of 4 At least 15 US troops wounded in Iran strike on Saudi airbase: Reports list 3 of 4 Iran warns neighbours not to let ‘enemies run the war’ from their land list 4 of 4 Yemen’s Houthis enter Iran war as bloodshed mounts daily across region end of list Pakistan’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. The risk of an expanded Iran war grew on Saturday as Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels launched their first attacks on Israel since the start of the conflict, after the first of the two contingents of the thousands of additional US forces dispatched to the Middle East arrived on Friday on an amphibious assault ship.

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Pakistan, Turkiye, Egypt, Saudi Arabia seek to de-escalate US-Israel war on Iran
Published On 29 Mar 2026
29 Mar 2026
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 items
list 1 of 4
‘A welcome gesture’: Pakistan seals Iran deal to send ships through Hormuz
list 2 of 4
At least 15 US troops wounded in Iran strike on Saudi airbase: Reports
list 3 of 4
Iran warns neighbours not to let ‘enemies run the war’ from their land
list 4 of 4
Yemen’s Houthis enter Iran war as bloodshed mounts daily across region
end of list
Pakistan’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.
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Islamabad has longstanding links with Tehran and close contacts in the Gulf, while Sharif and the army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, have struck up a personal rapport with US President Donald Trump.
Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said earlier on Friday he expected a direct US-Iran meeting in Pakistan “very soon”, without revealing his source.
The risk of an expanded Iran war grew on Saturday as Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels launched their first attacks on Israel since the start of the conflict, after the first of the two contingents of the thousands of additional US forces dispatched to the Middle East arrived on Friday on an amphibious assault ship.

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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
N/A

### Areas for Consideration
- 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.
- The risk of an expanded Iran war grew on Saturday as Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels launched their first attacks on Israel since the start of the conflict, after the first of the two contingents of the thousands of additional US forces dispatched to the Middle East arrived on Friday on an amphibious assault ship.

### Implications
- 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.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers iran, pakistan, islamabad topics. Areas of concern are also raised. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 505.