ISLAMABAD: Tehran is continuing discussions with mediators Pakistan, Qatar and Oman aimed at preventing a further escalation in its conflict with the United States, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday.
The statement came after renewed US strikes on Iranian targets and retaliatory missile and drone attacks by Tehran against American facilities across several Gulf states, raising fresh concerns over regional security and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Pakistan and Qatar have played central roles in recent diplomatic efforts between Washington and Tehran, helping negotiate the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, an interim agreement that in June halted hostilities between the United States and Iran, reopened the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping and committed both sides to negotiating a comprehensive agreement within 60 days.
As part of that process, US and Iranian negotiators met with Pakistani and Qatari mediators at Bürgenstock, Switzerland, in June for the first high-level talks on implementing the MoU. The parties agreed to establish a high-level committee to oversee the negotiations, create working groups on issues including the nuclear file, sanctions and dispute resolution and set up direct communication channels to help prevent military incidents and ensure safe commercial navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. They also endorsed a roadmap toward a final agreement while agreeing to continue technical-level talks. Indirect technical discussions were subsequently held in Doha.
Oman, which has long acted as an intermediary between Iran and the United States, has also continued separate consultations with Tehran.
“We will use all means at our disposal to defend our national interests,” Baghaei said at a press briefing on Monday.
“The role of the mediators is to continue their efforts to prevent an escalation of tensions. In recent days, we have been in contact with Qatar and Oman, with whom we held a meeting, as well as with Pakistan, and these discussions are ongoing.”
Baghaei did not provide details of Iran’s discussions with Pakistan or say whether another round of formal negotiations with the United States was being planned. Islamabad has not yet commented on the Iranian official’s remarks.
Iranian and US negotiators also held separate meetings with Pakistani and Qatari mediators in Doha earlier this month, with Islamabad saying the talks had made progress on implementing aspects of the Islamabad MoU. The parties agreed to continue discussions, though no date was announced for the next round.
The diplomatic process has since come under severe strain as Washington and Tehran resumed attacks and traded accusations over responsibility for the collapse of the ceasefire. Iran has again restricted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy corridors, contributing to renewed volatility in global oil markets.
Pakistan has repeatedly called for restraint and urged the parties to uphold the Islamabad MoU, arguing that renewed conflict would threaten peace and economic stability across the Middle East.
