Says the deal was structured in two phases, with three issues in the second phase having “been a source of real problem”
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar addresses the National Assembly. SCREEN GRAB
Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar presented the three-page US-Iran deal in the National Assembly on Wednesday, saying phase two would involve technical discussions on nuclear issues, sanctions and frozen assets and Lebanon.
While addressing the National Assembly (NA) session, Dar said he took it up with the June 22 joint communiqué issued by the US, Iran, Qatar and Pakistan, saying the document had been “significantly misunderstood” and misquoted.
“It is the right of both Houses that I place this on the record of this Assembly so that if a colleague wishes to see this document, take a copy or quote it, there will be no misunderstanding,” he said.
He added that each page of the agreement had initials and that the third page had a full signature, and that the State Department had also uploaded the communique to its website.
“Everybody agreed with that and its copy was also placed by our foreign office on their website, so colleagues who need to see what the outcome was, what the roadmap is, how to move forward, I will also place the copy, the one issued by all four countries from Switzerland on June 22, on the record of the foreign office for any member of the NA or the Senate to see,” he said.
Giving the House a detailed account of how the deal came together, Dar said the breakthrough came after a 21-hour negotiation session on April 10 and 11. The session went through six rounds, with breaks taken not to rest but to consult, and continued until Fajr, Dar said. “I salute both parties,” he added, noting that they had agreed to sit at the same table on the condition that Pakistan, their mutually chosen mediator, was also present.
Read: Islamabad MoU, talks in Switzerland strengthen faith in dialogue, diplomacy: FO
The secretary of state said the US delegation consisted of Vice President JD Vance, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Iran was represented by its speaker, Bagher Ghalibaf, and two other senior officials, including a secretary of the National Security Council.
“Pakistan’s delegation was led by me along with Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defense Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir and DG ISI,” he said.
But after those talks stalled – with both sides having to refer to their respective leaderships – Dar said serious concerns arose over the following weeks that the process might not reach a conclusion.
Crediting Prime Minister Shehbaz, Field Marshal Munir and the Foreign Office for persevering despite the concerns, he said: “They did not give up. Hope was not given up.”
Dar further noted that a regional forum consisting of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Egypt and Turkiye was also “proactively engaged” and held meetings in Riyadh on March 19, then in Antalya, in Islamabad on March 29 and most recently in Egypt.
As for the agreement itself, Dar revealed that it was originally to be signed physically in Geneva on June 19 at the Intercontinental hotel, with arrangements already in place. But on the night of June 18, a sudden development changed the order. President Trump, in France for the G7 summit, decided to sign electronically on the sidelines of the forum. The document was then sent to Iran and President Pezeshkian signed it. Prime Minister Shehbaz then signed as a mediator on behalf of Pakistan.
“The physical ceremony was subsequently moved to Bürgenstock in Switzerland, held at a property owned by the Qatar Investment Authority at the request of the US and Qatar. Parleys there on Sunday and Monday involving all four parties produced the June 22 joint communiqué,” Dar said.
He also mentioned that Pakistan ensured discretion throughout the process, saying, “As a true and honest mediator, we were a trusted party, we treated this as a matter of trust, we did not lean to one side or the other, we did not allow anything to become public.”
Regarding the Foreign Office, Dar said: “When they said to me, ‘give us a copy of the latest draft,’ I said, ‘until both parties give permission, you cannot share Pakistan’s document.’
Dar said the deal was structured in two phases. The first phase, aimed at solving the problem, had already produced visible consequences. He noted that for about three weeks, the government had been absorbing rising fuel prices instead of passing them on, with special instructions issued to the finance ministry. After three weeks, the awards began to be passed on and four chief ministers were called to decide on a special subsidy for public transport in Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
He said phase two would involve technical discussions on three issues: nuclear matters, sanctions and frozen assets and Lebanon, which he said had “been a source of real problems.” He noted that Israel attacked Lebanon again just as the deal was almost complete, delaying the talks by two days before a new Lebanon-Israel ceasefire allowed the process to resume.
As for the economic impact, Dar said prices had already come down, the US naval blockade had ended and Iran had removed all fees, surcharges, permits and authorizations.
Read more: Iran rules out a compromise on missile capabilities
Regarding Pakistan’s broader diplomatic status, Dar told the House that at a recent diplomatic forum, the US had officially stated that “Pakistan has become, by the role it has played in this US-Iran dispute, something unimaginable and Pakistan has become a cyber security supplier to this region.”
He said that this was a country that only a few years ago had been called diplomatically isolated and that “Pakistan today has become what used to be called a terrorist country, today it is remembered as a peacemaker.”
Regarding China, Dar said: “I will be failing in my duty if I do not recognize China’s role.” On 31 March, China’s foreign minister invited him for a one-day visit, during which Pakistan and China jointly announced a five-point peace initiative calling for the Strait of Hormuz to be kept free of tolls or restrictions and restored to its pre-28 February status. The announcement drew calls from foreign ministers across several capitals. “I received dozens of calls from foreign ministers in different capitals. Europe supported it,” Dar said.
Throughout the process, according to the foreign minister, Pakistan had maintained strict neutrality as a mediator and refused to share documents even with close allies. “Even Saudi Arabia, which was particularly involved, we didn’t give them either,” he said. Dar also referred to the strategic mutual defense agreement signed with Saudi Arabia in September 2025 and said that Pakistan had kept Iran informed about the sovereign pact throughout.
The foreign minister also noted that Iran had conveyed to Pakistan that “when difficult times came, we saw what a friend is and Pakistan fulfilled the obligations of friendship.” He concluded his remarks by saying that the credit belonged to the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz, Field Marshal Munir, and the Ministry of External Affairs, but that the ultimate success was God’s.
