Islamabad aims to preserve mediator role by deterring war
By Delaram Ahmadi
Staff writer
Over the past week, Pakistan has stepped up its diplomatic mediatory activity between Iran and the United States, with senior officials traveling to Tehran on several occasions. At the same time, reports pointed to a Qatari delegation visiting the Iranian capital. These developments can be read both as signs of progress toward a potential understanding between Tehran and Washington and as an effort to head off the risk of an increasingly likely renewed military confrontation. Amin Rezaeinejad, an expert on Pakistan affairs, told Iran Daily that Islamabad is seeking to preserve its role as a mediator by securing at least a minimal outcome—namely, preventing a return to war.
IRAN DAILY: Do you see Pakistan’s recent diplomatic moves primarily as part of progress toward negotiations and a preliminary understanding, or simply as an attempt to de-escalate tensions and prevent a return to military conflict?
REZAEINEJAD: Pakistan’s effort is mainly aimed at preserving its image as a mediator in the negotiations. Otherwise, the signals coming from both sides—whether from statements that Trump has released in the form of tweets or from the conditions put forward by Iranian officials—have not lined up in recent days. There remains a significant gap between the positions and viewpoints of the two sides. Pakistan’s push is largely about avoiding a repeat of Oman’s failed mediation and trying to steer the talks toward at least a minimal outcome, or at the very least, to prevent another war. In that sense, stabilizing the current “no war, no peace” situation appears to be a desirable endpoint for Islamabad.
At the same time, a Qatari delegation has traveled to Tehran. Is this visit part of a mediation effort, or is Qatar pursuing consultations over its own direct interests, particularly in the Strait of Hormuz?
Qatar faces a key concern: if hostilities between Iran and the US were to resume, its territory—or at least the bases hosting US forces—would likely come under attack. That is clearly not a favorable scenario for Doha. As a result, and having observed Pakistan’s limited mediation capacity, Qatar appears to be opening up a parallel channel alongside Islamabad in order to actively pursue mediation through a separate track, with the aim of preventing the outbreak of war. Much like Pakistan, Qatar’s objective is to ensure that the current “no war, no peace” situation is maintained for as long as possible.
At the same time, the visit may also relate to coordination with Iran over the transit of Qatari vessels through the Strait of Hormuz. The number of countries recognizing Iran’s sovereignty over the strait has been steadily increasing, as evidenced by the passage of more than 30 ships in recent days.
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