- DPM Dar, Rubio to review bilateral relations during meeting: FO.
- Meeting to review regional and global developments: FO.
- DPM Dar leaves for Islamabad later that day: FO.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary Ishaq Dar is set to discuss Pakistan’s efforts for peace in the Middle East with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington tomorrow, the State Department said on Thursday.
During the meeting, Dar and Rubio will review bilateral relations and exchange views on regional and global developments of mutual interest, reads a statement issued by the FO.
The discussions will also focus on strengthening cooperation in key priority sectors, as well as “Pakistan’s efforts to promote regional peace and stability through dialogue and diplomacy”, the FO said.
According to the FO, DPM Dar’s visit to Washington reflected Pakistan’s commitment to further deepen its long-standing and broad-based partnership with the United States.
After completing his official engagements in Washington, Dar is scheduled to leave for Islamabad later that day.
Iran, US deal with new strikes
The confirmation of the meeting and its agenda comes amid soaring tensions in the Middle East following renewed clashes between the US and Iran.
Iran said it targeted a US air base in Kuwait after US forces attacked what Washington described as an Iranian drone operation near the Strait of Hormuz.
Although the attacks were limited, they highlighted the fragility of negotiations to turn the tenuous ceasefire that took effect in early April into a deal to end the three-month-old war that has killed thousands and reopen the vital shipping route.
US Central Command said US forces had shot down five Iranian attack drones and hit a ground control station in the port city of Bandar Abbas that was about to launch a sixth drone. Kuwaiti forces had then intercepted a ballistic missile fired at the country, which hosts a major US base.
“These actions were measured, purely defensive and intended to maintain the ceasefire,” said a US official who requested anonymity to speak candidly about military operations. Reuters previous.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had targeted the US base responsible for an early morning attack near Bandar Abbas airport and that any repetition would lead to a “more decisive response”, the Tasnim news agency reported.
Pakistan has acted as a key mediator between Washington and Tehran since hostilities broke out in the Middle East on February 28.
The conflict erupted after the US and Israel launched coordinated attacks on Iran, prompting retaliatory strikes by Tehran on US bases across the region.
The fighting stopped on 8 April when Pakistan brokered a two-week ceasefire between the two sides.
Islamabad later hosted delegations from the two countries for peace talks between 11 and 12 April; however, the negotiations ended without an agreement on a permanent end to the war.
Despite the impasse, Pakistan has continued to relay messages between the US and Iran to help end their long-running dispute.
—With additional input from Reuters
