Pakistan to host US‑Iran talks, leveraging Trump ties
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- Pakistan is positioning itself to host U.S.-Iran peace talks, leveraging its long-standing ties with Tehran and its courtship of President Donald Trump.
- Field Marshal Asim Munir met President Trump in Davos in January and subsequently joined Trump's Board of Peace.
- Pakistan signed a crypto agreement to use a USD1 stablecoin for cross‑border payments and, through White House envoy Steve Witkoff, arranged redevelopment of New York's Roosevelt Hotel owned by its national airline.
- Pakistan has relayed at least six messages between Washington and Tehran since the Iran conflict began, according to five official Pakistani sources.
- Shehbaz Sharif announced that U.S. Vice President JD Vance, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner could attend talks in Islamabad by the end of the week.
- Ishaq Dar reminded Iran of Pakistan's mutual defence pact with Saudi Arabia while urging mediation, and security sources say Islamabad aims to avoid entering the war.
- Pakistan maintains direct diplomatic channels with both Washington and Tehran, a channel frozen for most other nations, and hosts the world's second‑largest Shi'ite Muslim population after Iran.
Why it matters: Pakistan stands to boost its global standing and secure economic relief by ending the Iran war, while the United States gains a credible go‑between with direct access to Tehran; Iran receives a neutral interlocutor, potentially easing regional tensions and reduces the risk of spillover into Pakistan's border provinces.
