Pakistan Emphasizes Maximum Effort to Restore US-Iran Dialogue Under Islamabad Agreement

The Foreign Office (FO) stated on Thursday that Pakistan is exerting its maximum effort to facilitate the return of Washington and Tehran to the negotiating table under the Islamabad memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed last month.

Speaking at a weekly press briefing, FO spokesperson Tahir Andrabi expressed concern that the security situation in the Middle East “remains fragile despite the relative calm observed over the past few days, which had raised hopes that this positive development would solidify into a lasting and fully respected ceasefire, opening the door for dialogue”.

Andrabi reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for diplomacy, emphasizing that dialogue remains the “only viable path forward”.

“We welcome all endeavors aimed at sustaining the cessation of hostilities and resuming dialogue between Tehran and Washington,” he said, adding that Pakistan remains actively engaged.

“I want to emphasize that negotiations between the parties are ongoing to normalize the situation, particularly regarding the Strait of Hormuz, and to achieve de-escalation,” he stated.

He further noted that Pakistan is exerting its maximum effort to bring both parties back to the Islamabad MoU “so that all irritants can be resolved in the spirit of the agreement and the Pakistan-Qatar joint statement of June 22”.

Andrabi urged both Washington and Tehran to exercise “maximum restraint and fully adhere to their commitment to resume technical-level talks” in accordance with the Islamabad MoU and the Pakistan-Qatar joint statement.

The MoU between the United States and Iran was signed on June 18 following weeks of intensive diplomacy. Its aim was to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the Middle East conflict—which began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran in February—after an additional 60 days of negotiations.

However, hostilities reignited on July 7 when Iran targeted commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, including a Qatari liquefied natural gas tanker, accusing the United States of violating the agreement. This provoked multiple waves of US strikes on Iranian military targets.

The conflict has intensified as Houthi rebels in Yemen imposed a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, extending the war into a second major shipping chokepoint.

On Wednesday, the conflict expanded to new fronts as explosions struck a natural gas loading port in Egypt and a US-owned floating storage tanker was reportedly hit by a drone, while the United States and Saudi Arabia conducted joint strikes on Iran-backed paramilitary groups in Iraq in retaliation for attacks on US troops and Saudi oil infrastructure.

On Thursday, following a nearly week-long pause, the United States struck Iran again in retaliation for Tehran’s targeting of American bases in Jordan.

DW Documentary is ‘Merely Speculative Commentary’

The FO spokesperson also “rejected” a documentary concerning Pakistan’s nuclear programme uploaded recently to its YouTube channel by Germany-based German wave (DW), calling it “misleading”.

Andrabi characterized the documentary as “nothing but a regurgitation of hackneyed, speculative commentary and biased sourcing”.

“The documentary reflects either a profound misunderstanding of, or a deliberate disregard of the history, evolution, and rationale of Pakistan’s nuclear programme,” he stated.

The FO spokesperson also addressed DW’s decision to broadcast the documentary: “By providing a platform to such poorly sourced and one-sided content, DW risks undermining its own credibility and reputation for professional fact-finding journalism.

“Responsible journalism demands rigorous verification and balanced context, rather than amplifying recycled conjecture and unfounded insinuations.”

Andrabi called on DW to “exercise greater editorial responsibility when reporting on matters with far-reaching implications for international peace and security”.

“Pakistan has full confidence in the robustness of its command and control architecture, as well as comprehensive, technical, legal, and institutional mechanisms governing nuclear safety, security, and our wider nuclear programme,” the FO spokesperson affirmed.

He asserted that “these arrangements meet the highest international standards and have been consistently recognized by independent international experts”.

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