he negotiating table, emphasising that “diplomacy remains the only viable path to resolving the ongoing conflict.”
The spokesperson for Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tahir Andrabi, said that Islamabad continues to support dialogue and is working to restore negotiations under a memorandum of understanding signed by the involved parties.
“Amid the prevailing tensions and hostilities, Pakistan reiterates that dialogue and diplomacy remain the only viable path forward,” Andrabi said during a weekly media briefing.
He added that Pakistan is “doing the utmost” to encourage the US and Iran to resume talks and welcomed efforts aimed at maintaining a ceasefire and restarting diplomatic engagement.
Pakistan has played a key mediating role between Washington and Tehran since hostilities escalated, including hosting negotiations in Islamabad and helping facilitate a temporary truce.
The diplomatic push comes after the United States and Iran resumed the war after Trump announced that an interim agreement had fallen apart following a series of retaliatory attacks.
Islamabad has urged both sides to honor their commitments and continue technical discussions under the agreement.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) threatened further escalation following a wave of retaliatory US strikes on Iran overnight.
The IRGC said Thursday that it “will punish the aggressor today,” according to Iranian state media, warning that countries supporting the United States in the conflict would also “receive a harsh response.”
The force also claimed it maintains “full control” of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global energy shipping route, saying foreign powers would not be allowed to interfere in the region.
The IRGC’s warning followed a major US military operation against Iran after Iranian forces launched missile attacks targeting American positions in the Gulf region.
US Central Command described the strikes as a “powerful response” to attempted Iranian attacks on US forces in the Middle East. The operation targeted dozens of IRGC sites across Iran, including military command centers, missile and drone facilities, coastal surveillance systems, air defense locations, and maritime assets.
US officials said the strikes were intended to reduce threats posed by Iran and its affiliated groups to American forces, commercial shipping, and neighboring Gulf states.
The latest escalation followed Iranian ballistic missile launches against US forces in the region, though American defenses intercepted the missiles. Jordan’s military also said its air defenses shot down five missiles launched from Iran.
