Pakistan urges all sides to give diplomacy ‘a little more chance’ at the UNSC

Pakistan on Wednesday urged all sides to exercise restraint and give diplomacy “a little more chance” amid heightened tensions in the Middle East, warning that recent events have highlighted the risk of further escalation.

Addressing the UN Security Council briefing on non-proliferation, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, said Islamabad was “deeply concerned” about the ongoing situation in the region marked by heightened tensions.

“Events of the last few days have greatly underlined the fragility of the situation, the risk of escalation and the need for diplomatic efforts to materialize – sooner rather than later,” he told the council.

The ambassador said the latest uptick in violence in the Middle East was “a stark reminder of the dangers of a tenuous ceasefire and the intolerable consequences it can lead to”.

“That cycle of violence and instability must be ended for the benefit of regional and international peace, security and prosperity,” he added.

Referring to the Iranian nuclear issue, Iftikhar said the recent hostilities had complicated diplomatic efforts and affected the work of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

“Unfortunately, the breakdown of diplomacy and outbreak of hostilities has also affected deliberations on Iran’s nuclear issue, pushing the parties further apart on this complex issue,” he said.

He added that the conflict had also “interfered with the IAEA’s crucial verification mandate”.

The ambassador confirmed Pakistan’s position and said that Islamabad supported the resolution of all outstanding issues through dialogue and negotiations.

“We reaffirm our support for the resolution of all outstanding issues, including Iran’s nuclear issue, through peaceful means, diplomatic engagement and sustained dialogue,” he said.

Iftikhar said Pakistan believed that “diplomacy and dialogue should be the guiding principles” to achieve negotiated solutions to contentious issues.

He highlighted Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts and said Islamabad had been working with international partners to help reduce tensions and encourage negotiations.

“Pakistan along with partners initiated diplomatic efforts to stop the war and bring the parties to the table,” he said.

The ambassador added that Pakistan had been engaged in efforts to support “de-escalation, ceasefire and the broader pursuit of stability in the region”.

The Pakistani envoy also referred to what he described as the “Islamabad talks”, saying Pakistan appreciated both sides for engaging in dialogue.

“We appreciate both sides for resuming their trust in Pakistan and engaging in dialogue to achieve a ceasefire and participating in the ‘Islamabad Talks’ – the highest level direct engagement between the US and Iran in over four decades,” he said.

According to the ambassador, Pakistan had maintained contacts with both Tehran and Washington, as well as several regional and international partners.

He said Islamabad sought to encourage dialogue, facilitate the exchange of messages and help create spaces and conditions conducive to meaningful negotiations.

Iftikhar said Pakistan’s efforts were meant to “break the momentum of hostilities, save lives and give diplomacy a chance”.

He described Pakistan’s approach as reflecting a “consistent commitment to regional stability and international peace” and a preference for “principled, dialogue-oriented diplomacy” in dealing with geopolitical conflicts.

In conclusion, the ambassador called on all parties to avoid actions that could undermine the ongoing diplomatic efforts.

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“As we work seriously and painstakingly with our friends and partners to find a peaceful diplomatic solution to the conflict, and especially as the final goal is just about to be reached, we sincerely call on all sides to exercise restraint and give peace a little more chance,” he said.

He added: “Let us continue to tread the path of peace and diplomacy, for it has bright prospects of success, something on which the international community has pinned its hopes.”

Iran’s nuclear program

Five days ago, the UN nuclear watchdog sent a report to member states with no major changes to its assessment of Iran’s nuclear program, despite three months of US-Israeli war with the stated goal of preventing Iran from building a nuclear bomb.

In its first report on Iran’s nuclear program since the day before the US and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran at the end of February, the IAEA repeatedly called on Tehran to explain the fate of stocks of enriched uranium. Uranium has not been accounted for since an earlier US-Israeli bombing campaign a year ago targeting Iran’s main nuclear facility.

US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeatedly cited the destruction of Iran’s nuclear program as one of their main goals in launching new strikes in late February.

Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium has been a major sticking point in talks between the US and Iran to end the war, with Trump insisting Iran give it up. Efforts have recently focused on an interim agreement that would leave nuclear issues for later.

The classified report on Iran was one of two issued on June 5 and seen by Reuters ahead of next week’s quarterly meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s 35-nation board. They showed very little change from the previous reports at the end of February, just before the latest war.

“The Director General of the (IAEA) has emphasized to Iran that it is indispensable and urgent to implement the NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty) effectively … and that its implementation cannot be suspended by Iran under any circumstances,” the report said. Reuters said.

The IAEA has been unable to return to nuclear facilities that Israel and the US bombed last June. Iran has not yet informed the IAEA of the fate of its stockpiles of low- and high-enriched uranium (LEU and HEU), including uranium enriched to up to 60% purity, a short step from the roughly 90% weapons-grade level.

The region has been on edge since the US and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran in late February, triggering Iranian retaliation against Israel and other regional countries that host US assets.

A temporary ceasefire was reached on April 8, but talks later stalled over disagreements over its implementation and subsequent regional developments, even as Trump extended the ceasefire indefinitely.

An agreement to completely end the US-Israeli war against Iran has proved elusive, with Iran insisting that any talks on its nuclear program must be after a full end to the war.