By stepping in as mediator in the Iran war, Pakistan has managed to elevate its status from a regional player to a global diplomatic stakeholder — with a little help from China and its friends in the Gulf.
The US-Iran deal, serving as foundation for the ongoing talks in Switzerland, marks a crucial diplomatic achievement for Pakistan, perhaps the most significant in the country’s modern history.
“Pakistan was not only able to effectively leverage its relations with Tehran and growing closeness to Washington but also its network of regional partners like Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey,” Farwa Aamer, director of South Asia Initiatives at the Asia Society Policy Institute in New York, told DW.
“It gave Pakistan more diplomatic weight and international support going into the mediation role,” she added.
Islamabad also boasts close ties with China — not an easy feat on a continent increasingly shaped by the Washington-Beijing rivalry.
“Pakistan’s patient diplomacy was critical in getting the US-Iran deal across the finish line, though its long-term impact will depend on the agreement’s durability as difficult negotiations continue,” Elizabeth Threlkeld, South Asia director at the Washington-based Stimson Center, told DW.
She lauded Islamabad for balancing ties with the US and Iran while also keeping key Gulf partners and China onboard, and “helping to find formulations that worked for all sides.”
Trump praises Pakistan’s Munir as his ‘favorite field marshal’
But good working relationships with regional and global powers were just a starting point. The Pakistani government has been pursuing a hands-on diplomatic strategy towards Tehran, with Pakistan’s most senior military commander Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharifboth visiting Iran in May 2025, just weeks before the short-lived conflict with Israel that ended with the US bombing Iran’s nuclear facilities.
“Asim Munir and Shehbaz Sharif had both traveled to Iran that summer. That is when, in my view, the Trump administration first began to recognize that the Pakistanis could be a viable and trustworthy mediator,” Michael Kugelman, a senior fellow for South Asia at Washington-based Atlantic Council, told DW.
Army chief Munir, in particular, seem to have left a positive impression on Donald Trump, with the US president repeatedly praising him as a “great fighter,” “an exceptional human being” and “my favorite field marshal.”
The Pakistani leaders had much to lose with the US-Israel conflict with Iran spiraling into an all-out regional war. Pakistan shares a border with Iran and relies heavily on Gulf trade routes, so prolonged instability could trigger refugee flows, economic disruption, and security challenges along its western frontier.
Pakistan puts in work with Washington, Tehran
Once the US and Israel launched new airstrikes against Iran in late February, Sharif’s government began engaging in an intensive diplomatic effort involving shuttle diplomacy, direct contacts with Washington and Tehran, and coordination with regional capitals.
While Munir and Trump discussed the conflict by telephone on March 22, Prime Minister Sharif spoke to Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian on the following day. Sharif then floated Islamabad as a possible destination for direct talks between Washington and Tehran.
In early April, Pakistan announced the initial ceasefire between the two warring parties, and then hosted delegations led by US Vice President JD Vance and Iran’s Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf for a marathon negotiation session on April 11.
The Pakistani government repeatedly reasserted its mediator role in the following months, despite the peace talks eventually moving to Switzerland. With the peace process in jeopardy over the fighting in Lebanon, Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi visited Tehran twice last week.
Support from China and the Gulf States
Many voices have speculated that Pakistan could only act as a mediator due to strong support from China. Beijing has ties to Tehran and needs stability in the Gulf to ensure energy imports and regional trade routes remained open. Chinese officials have publicly backed Islamabad’s diplomatic initiative and encouraged efforts to prevent escalation.
“I do think the role of China and the Gulf States is critical here. One could and should give credit to Pakistan for its role as a prime mediator, but it could not do this alone. That was never going to be the case,” asserted Kugelman.
“When (Pakistan’s Foreign Minister) Ishaq Dar went to Beijing several weeks ago, that led to this joint resolution for peace. It was at that moment that China formally signed on to the Pakistan-led peace process, and that meant that the Iranians knew that China was buying into this process. China leverages Iran in a big way because of its economic clout, because of the energy it imports from Iran, and so on,” underlined Kugelman.
Analyst Farwa Aamer says China did not play an overt role in Pakistan’s diplomatic effort, but warns that Beijing’s influence cannot be overlooked.
“Pakistani leadership kept China in the loop throughout, and Qatar was another prominent but influential player in the process,” she said.
Countries such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia also have strong incentives to avoid a prolonged conflict that threatened energy markets and maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
Qatar, in particular, has now positioned itself as a second mediator in the conflict, with its officials attending the US-Iran talks at the luxury Swiss resort of Bürgenstock.
Pakistan a glorified messenger between US and Iran?
Diplomatic sources familiar with the negotiations describe Pakistan’s role as extending beyond mere mediation between the warring parties.
“Pakistani officials helped identify areas of compromise, coordinated draft proposals, and worked to keep channels open during several moments when negotiations appeared close to collapse and maintained contact with both sides throughout the crisis,” a senior diplomatic source in Islamabad told DW.
Atlantic Council analyst Kugelman agrees that Pakistan was not simply a messenger in the US-Iran negotiations, pointing to army chief Munir and his direct involvement in Islamabad talks.
“Three-way discussions were taking place, which goes far beyond the role of a country merely passing messages between two sides. That is direct mediation,” said Kugelman.
“US Vice President JD Vance even remarked that he had spoken to Field Marshal Asim Munir more than anyone else over the past few months. Such statements reflect the depth of Pakistan’s involvement in the process,” commented Kugelman.
Source : https://www.dw.com/en/us-iran-deal-pakistans-diplomatic-masterstroke/a-77660414
