ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stressed the importance of restraint and diplomatic engagement for regional peace in his meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday, the premier’s office said, amid the latest exchange of attacks between Tehran and Washington in the Gulf.

The escalation began Sunday night when US forces struck two rocket launchers on Iran’s Larak Island, a US official ​said, marking the first known American strikes on Iran since late July. Tehran responded by launching an attack on two US bases in Jordan, Iranian media said.

Trump posted a one-line social media post on Sunday night claiming that ​ Iran’s crucial energy hub of Kharg Island had been bombarded. The claim was rejected by an Iranian official, while there was no other indication that Kharg, hundreds of kilometers away from Larak Island, was also under ‌attack.

Sharif arrived in Bishkek on Monday on a three-day visit to take part in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Heads of State meeting. He will also assume Pakistan’s chairmanship of the council for 2026–2027.

“The prime minister emphasized the importance of restraint and sustained diplomatic engagement to achieve lasting peace and stability in the region,” a statement issued by Sharif’s office said about the meeting. 

Sharif underscored the need to build on the understandings reached under the Islamabad MoU, an interim peace deal that Pakistan helped broker between the US and Iran in June, saying it offered the “only viable pathway” toward enduring peace in the region.

The Pakistani prime minister reaffirmed that Islamabad would continue its efforts to promote regional peace, stating that the recent visit to Tehran by Pakistan’s military chief and “constructive engagements” augured well in this regard. 

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said Pezeshkian appreciated Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts for regional peace and security. He also underscored the enduring strength of Pakistan-Iran relations, rooted in centuries of shared history, culture, and faith, the statement said. 

“He stressed the need to forge unity among the Ummah to deal with contemporary challenges,” the PMO said.

Pakistan has been mediating between the US and Iran since their war began in February. Islamabad hosted the first round of talks between both sides in April, exchanged peace proposals in the months after that and brokered the Islamabad MoU between the two sides in June before it fell apart weeks later.

Islamabad has repeatedly called for a diplomatic settlement and says it is using direct and indirect channels to bring Washington and Tehran back to negotiations.