The prime minister calls for restraint, regional peace in calls with the Iranian president, the emir of Qatar

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday called for restraint and called for the immediate restoration of peace and stability in the region during separate phone calls with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani amid the latest regional tensions following the outbreak of new hostilities between the United States and Iran.

A tentative ceasefire agreement signed between Washington and Tehran – brokered by Pakistan – was meant to provide a 60-day window for talks on a permanent deal, but indirect talks in Qatar ended last week with no sign of progress, and the US military unleashed a new wave of strikes against Iran on Tuesday. Iran subsequently said it had targeted US military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait and that it had shot down a US MQ-9 drone that tried to interfere with the operation. Bahrain’s army later said it had foiled Iranian attacks.

According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office today, the Prime Minister held a telephone conversation with the Iranian President.

“The Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding provides a lasting foundation for promoting mutual understanding, respect and shared prosperity in the region and beyond,” the prime minister said while stressing the importance of honoring the mutual obligations and responsibilities under the agreement.

He reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to promoting regional peace and assured President Pezeshkian that Pakistan would continue to provide all possible support to play “a sincere and constructive role” in restoring and maintaining regional peace and stability.

The prime minister called on Iran and all other relevant parties to exercise restraint and refrain from taking steps that could undermine the peace gains made over the past few months.

President Pezeshkian thanked Prime Minister Shehbaz, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Chief of Defense Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir and other senior leadership of Pakistan for attending the funeral prayers and burial of late Ayatollah Syed Ali Khamenei.

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He also reaffirmed Iran’s commitment to regional peace and appreciated Pakistan’s support and constructive role in that regard.

The two leaders reviewed progress on decisions taken during President Pezeshkian’s visit to Islamabad last month and agreed to speed up their implementation to further strengthen bilateral cooperation.

The Prime Minister also conveyed his best wishes and warm greetings to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Syed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei.

The two leaders agreed to remain in touch and continue close consultations on issues of common interest, including regional peace and stability.

Prime Minister Shehbaz said he discussed developments in the regional situation and stressed the need for restraint, dialogue and diplomacy to secure “the hard-earned peace gains of recent months”.

He added that he reaffirmed Pakistan’s “readiness to continue playing its role as an honest and sincere broker for lasting regional peace”.

Later, in a separate telephone conversation with the Emir of Qatar, Prime Minister Shehbaz expressed deep concern over the recent regional tensions and reaffirmed Pakistan’s complete solidarity with the people of Qatar in the wake of the recent attacks.

According to a PMO statement, the prime minister thanked Qatar’s leadership for its consistent support for peace efforts that led to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding and the first round of high-level technical talks in Bürgenstock.

The prime minister called on all parties to exercise restraint and avoid any action that could jeopardize regional peace and stability.

The two leaders agreed that continued diplomatic engagement and meaningful dialogue were essential for peace and that all parties should implement the commitments made under the peace memorandum.

It further added that Sheikh Tamim appreciated the leadership roles played by Prime Minister Shehbaz, FM Dar and CDF Munir in efforts to promote regional peace.

He also assured the prime minister that Qatar will continue to support efforts to maintain peace and stability in the region.

“I conveyed Pakistan’s solidarity with the brotherly people of Qatar and stressed the need for restraint, dialogue and diplomacy to maintain regional peace. I also thanked the Emir HH for Qatar’s steadfast support for peace efforts that led to the Islamabad MoU and reaffirmed our joint commitment to promoting peace, stability and prosperity in the Qatar region talks,” said the Shebah regional leader.

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Diplomacy is happening behind the scenes right now to ease tensions in the conflict between the US and Iran, CNN reported earlier today, citing US officials.

Several sources, two from mediating countries and the other a US official, told the media that the regional governments have tried to ease tensions between the two countries.

Sources said officials from Qatar, Pakistan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia held several phone calls with US and Iranian officials on Wednesday in an effort to reduce tensions.

“There are extensive diplomatic efforts to first agree with both sides on de-escalation and then set a date for another round of negotiations between the technical teams,” said a regional source involved in the mediation.

Pakistan on Wednesday called for restraint from both sides after the new round of hostilities.

Pakistan and Qatar intensified diplomatic efforts on Thursday to save the fragile peace process. Diplomatic sources said Pakistan and Qatar, the two main brokers of the June peace deal, remain in close contact with both Tehran and Washington in an effort to restore the ceasefire and resume talks on outstanding issues including maritime security, sanctions and implementation of the MoU.

Diplomatic observers say the coming days will be decisive for the future of the deal. Although neither Tehran nor Washington has formally withdrawn from the memorandum of understanding, each side now accuses the other of violating its provisions, making the mediators’ task increasingly difficult.

Despite the sharp escalation, Pakistani officials remain hopeful that sustained diplomatic engagement can prevent a complete collapse of the peace process.

Officials believe that maintaining channels of communication with both capitals remains critical to containing the crisis and steering the parties back toward negotiations before the conflict escalates into another full-scale regional confrontation.