ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif urged restraint and renewed diplomacy to end the US-Iran war during talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday, the premier's office said. 

The conflict began after US and Israeli strikes on Iran in February and has disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a passage used for roughly a fifth of global oil supplies. Pakistan has called for an end to the fighting and acted as an intermediary between Washington and Tehran.

Pakistan’s mediation produced the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding in June, a 14-point interim agreement between the US and Iran intended to halt the war, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and provide a framework for negotiations covering sanctions and Tehran’s nuclear program. The truce unraveled in July after renewed hostilities.

“Sharif expressed deep concern over the prolonged conflict and emphasized the need for restraint, de-escalation, and sustained diplomatic engagement to achieve lasting peace and stability in the region,” the PM's office said in a statement following Thursday’s meeting.

The premier also stressed the importance of implementing the Islamabad memorandum and reaffirmed Pakistan’s readiness to continue playing what his office described as a sincere and constructive role in promoting regional peace.

Pezeshkian praised Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts and its role in seeking an end to the conflict, according to the statement.

“President Masoud Pezeshkian appreciated Pakistan’s principled diplomacy and concerted efforts for regional peace and security,” Sharif’s office said.

The meeting came as Tehran used the annual UN gathering to seek a renewed diplomatic opening with Washington. A senior Iranian official told Reuters this week that Iran had submitted a proposal to end hostilities through mediators and that its delegation in New York had authority to pursue negotiations, although no meeting with US President Donald Trump was planned.

Pakistan has intensified its mediation efforts in recent months. Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi visited Tehran in August for discussions focused on preventing further escalation, reopening the Strait of Hormuz and finding a negotiated end to the war.

Pakistan and Iran share a roughly 900-kilometer border and maintain political and commercial relations, although ties have periodically been strained by cross-border militant violence and security concerns.