ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has urged a return to a US-Iran interim agreement it helped broker in June as hostilities between Washington and Tehran escalate again, the foreign ministry said on Tuesday, while reaffirming its support for international law and a central United Nations role in promoting global peace and development.

The call came during a telephone conversation between Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Rafael Grossi, head of the UN nuclear watchdog and a candidate to become the next UN secretary-general, as the June agreement struggles to contain renewed attacks between the United States and Iran.

“They discussed the evolving regional situation and agreed that implementation of the Islamabad MoU remained the best course of action to defuse tensions,” Pakistan’s foreign ministry said in a statement after the two officials spoke late on Monday, adding that Grossi had offered technical support if needed.

The Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding was an interim agreement signed by the US and Iran in June following mediation by Pakistan after months of conflict. It sought to halt military operations and create a pathway toward a broader settlement, including negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program, sanctions and regional security.

The agreement also envisaged an end to military operations on other fronts, including Lebanon, and the restoration of commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. However, the agreement has since come under growing strain, with Washington and Tehran accusing each other of violations and stepping up attacks across the region.

The renewed hostilities have also disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial route for global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies.

Pakistan has consistently argued that diplomacy and dialogue offer the only sustainable route out of the conflict and has urged both sides to return to the framework established under the June agreement.

Dar “highlighted the crucial importance of the UN system in realizing the global peace and development agenda,” the foreign ministry said.

Grossi, an Argentine diplomat who has headed the International Atomic Energy Agency since 2019, has played a prominent role in international diplomacy over Iran’s nuclear program and is among the candidates seeking to succeed Antonio Guterres as UN secretary-general when his second term expires at the end of this year.

Pakistan has maintained close working relations with the IAEA under Grossi, particularly on peaceful uses of nuclear technology, nuclear safety and technical cooperation. Grossi has visited Pakistan several times as IAEA chief, while Pakistani officials have held regular talks with him in Vienna and Islamabad on the country’s cooperation with the agency.

The call also comes as campaigning gathers pace to choose the next UN secretary-general. Under the selection process, the Security Council recommends a candidate to the General Assembly, which formally appoints the secretary-general for a five-year term. Grossi was nominated by Argentina for the post.

Dar wished Grossi well in his campaign, the foreign ministry said.