ISLAMABAD: In a major development signalling easing tensions in the region, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar announced that Iran has agreed to facilitate additional Pakistani vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, calling it a positive step towards peace and stability.
“I am pleased to share a great news that the Government of Iran has agreed to allow 20 more ships under the Pakistani flag to pass through the Strait of Hormuz; two ships will cross the Strait daily,” Dar said in a post on X.
He said the move reflects a constructive approach from Tehran. “This is a welcome and constructive gesture by Iran and deserves appreciation. It is a harbinger of peace and will help usher stability in the region.”
Dar added that the development carries broader significance for regional efforts. “This positive announcement marks a meaningful step toward peace and will strengthen our collective efforts in that direction.”
Emphasising the path ahead, he said: “Dialogue, diplomacy, and such confidence-building measures are the only way forward.”
Iranian threats to attack ships in the strait have kept most oil tankers from attempting the waterway. A few vessels have traversed the strait without issue, including ships under the flags of Pakistan and India, after Iranian assurances of safe passage.
So far, nearly 16 attacks have damaged at least 17 commercial ships since the war began, while around 1,900–2,000 vessels remain stranded in the region, according to Reuters.
Pakistan has emerged as a key facilitator between Iran and the United States as their war drags on, serving as an intermediary for messages between the two sides.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday said he had a "detailed" call with Iran's president, as foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey gathered in Islamabad for talks on the war in the Middle East.
The diplomats are due to attend talks Sunday and Monday "on a range of issues, including efforts to de-escalate tensions in the region", the Foreign Office said.
The talks will be held in Islamabad, which is positioning itself as a potential venue for US-Iran negotiations on the month-old conflict.
The foreign ministers of the four countries will hold "in-depth discussions on a range of issues, including efforts to de-escalate tensions in the region" during the two-day talks, according to the FO.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the meeting would seek to establish a mechanism aimed at de-escalation.
“We would discuss where the negotiations in this war are heading and how these four countries assess the situation and what can be done," he told broadcaster A Haber late on Friday.
The four nations have been involved in trying to mediate between Washington and Tehran in the war launched by the US and Israel on February 28, and all are acutely vulnerable to threats to energy supplies and trade routes.
Pakistan has conveyed to Tehran a US proposal for ending the war and offered to host talks, with Iranian officials indicating any negotiations could take place in Pakistan or Turkey.
