Pakistan hosted talks with Türkiye, Egypt and Saudi Arabia yesterday as part of its efforts to broker an end to the Iran war, with initial discussions focused on proposals to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping, sources familiar with the matter said.
At the end of the first day of talks in Islamabad, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said foreign ministers from the regional powers had discussed “possible ways to bring an early and permanent end to the war in the region,” and had been briefed on potential US-Iran talks in Islamabad.
The talks were held as the Pentagon is reportedly drawing up plans to send in troops on the ground in Iran, according to the Washington Post.
US officials said operations would fall short of a full-scale invasion but involve raids by special forces and conventional troops.
The countries meeting in Pakistan have floated proposals to Washington tied to maritime traffic in the Gulf, sources told Reuters, as part of wider efforts to stabilise shipping flows.
The Strait of Hormuz was previously a conduit for about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies, but Iran has effectively halted shipping flows through it in response to the US and Israeli air strikes that began a month ago.
Dar said all sides had expressed confidence in Pakistan’s role, adding that China ‘fully supports’ the initiative.
Pakistan, which like Türkiye borders Iran, has leveraged its close ties to both Tehran and Washington to emerge as a key diplomatic channel in the conflict, while Ankara and Cairo have also played a role.
A source from Pakistan said proposals, including from Egypt, had been forwarded to the White House before yesterday’s meeting and that they included Suez Canal-style fee structures.
Two other Pakistani sources said Türkiye, Egypt and Saudi Arabia could form a consortium to manage oil flows through the waterway, and had asked Pakistan to participate.
The first Pakistani source said Islamabad had not been formally asked to join and maintains that it will not.
The proposal for a management consortium had been discussed with the US and Iran, the sources said.
Meanwhile, Iran’s energy ministry reported power outages in the capital Tehran, its surrounding region and neighbouring Alborz province yesterday “following attacks on electricity industry facilities”.
It said “electricity was cut off in these areas, and efforts are being made to resolve the problem”, according to state television.
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