Pakistan Says Islamabad MoU Remains in Place, Vows to Continue US-Iran Peace Efforts
ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN — WEB DESK: Pakistan said on Wednesday that the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding remains in place as a framework for dialogue, reaffirming that it will continue diplomatic efforts aimed at reducing tensions and promoting a peaceful resolution of the confrontation involving Iran and the United States.
Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi reiterated Islamabad’s position during a weekly media briefing, saying Pakistan remained hopeful despite the latest escalation and would continue pursuing dialogue and diplomacy.
The statement is significant because renewed military exchanges have raised questions about whether earlier diplomatic arrangements remain viable. Pakistan’s position is that the Islamabad framework has not ceased to exist merely because hostilities have resumed.
However, saying the MoU remains in place should not be interpreted as confirmation of a new ceasefire, an immediate resumption of formal US-Iran negotiations or a new agreement between Washington and Tehran.
Pakistan Says Diplomatic Framework Still Exists
Pakistan has consistently presented the Islamabad MoU as a framework through which the parties could return to structured negotiations.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said in official remarks last month that Pakistan had acted as a facilitator in US-Iran dialogue and that those efforts had culminated in the signing of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding in June. He said Islamabad would continue supporting diplomacy and the peaceful resolution of disputes.
The Foreign Office had also previously explained that the framework remained relevant even during periods of renewed fighting.
In July, Andrabi said the peace process did not simply end when military escalation occurred and described the Islamabad MoU as providing a framework for future dialogue.
Wednesday’s comments therefore represent a continuation of Pakistan’s established diplomatic position rather than the announcement of a new peace agreement.
Pakistan Remains Hopeful Despite Renewed Escalation
The Foreign Office said the latest escalation had not persuaded Islamabad to abandon its diplomatic role.
“Despite recent escalations, we remain hopeful and we will continue to strive for dialogue and diplomacy,” Andrabi said, according to reporting from the briefing.
Pakistan has maintained high-level contacts with Iran as part of those efforts.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Bishkek earlier this week and stressed the need to advance understandings under the Islamabad MoU, describing diplomacy as the viable route towards lasting regional peace.
Dar also met Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit, where both sides stressed the importance of continued engagement.
These contacts demonstrate continuing diplomatic engagement, but they do not establish that the United States and Iran have agreed to restart formal negotiations at a specific date.
Islamabad Has Maintained Its Mediation Push
Pakistan has intensified regional contacts over recent weeks in an effort to revive negotiations.
The Foreign Office said in late August that Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir’s August 24 visit to Tehran formed part of Pakistan’s ongoing diplomatic efforts aimed at reducing US-Iran tensions and facilitating the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Islamabad has rejected reports seeking to portray the visit as being undertaken on Washington’s behalf, instead describing it as part of Pakistan’s own mediation initiative.
Pakistan has also said that wider peace talks could take place in Islamabad whenever the relevant parties are prepared to engage. The Foreign Office made clear in August that such talks depended on the parties’ willingness rather than on a fixed Pakistani timetable.
That distinction remains relevant following Wednesday’s statement: Pakistan is keeping the diplomatic framework available, but it cannot unilaterally restart US-Iran negotiations.
Foreign Office Also Addresses Indus Waters Treaty
Separately, the Foreign Office used Wednesday’s briefing to reiterate Pakistan’s position on the Indus Waters Treaty dispute with India.
Andrabi said India could not escape its treaty obligations by rejecting decisions of the Court of Arbitration and argued that New Delhi remained bound by international law and treaty commitments.
Pakistan’s position is that India’s unilateral approach cannot invalidate obligations under the treaty and risks damaging regional peace and stability.
These remarks represent Pakistan’s legal and diplomatic position in the dispute. They should not be presented as an uncontested judicial determination that resolves every disagreement between Islamabad and New Delhi over the treaty.
The Indus Waters Treaty issue is separate from Pakistan’s US-Iran mediation, although both were addressed during the same Foreign Office briefing.
No New US-Iran Breakthrough Announced
The most important distinction in Wednesday’s briefing is between the continued existence of a diplomatic framework and an actual diplomatic breakthrough.
Pakistan says the Islamabad MoU remains relevant and that it will continue efforts to revive negotiations. Official Pakistani statements also show that Islamabad has maintained contact with Iranian leaders and regional partners.
But the Foreign Office has not announced a new ceasefire, a final peace agreement, a date for renewed US-Iran talks or a commitment by both sides to immediately return to the negotiating table.
The latest statement is therefore best understood as a signal that Pakistan does not consider the diplomatic track closed despite renewed hostilities.
Islamabad’s stated strategy remains to preserve channels for dialogue and encourage the parties to return to negotiations when conditions permit.
