US and Pakistan Seek to Settle Iran-US Conflict |
US and Pakistan Seek to Settle Iran-US Conflict
The US, with the active mediation of Pakistan, is aiming to settle the conflict with Iran, the latter of which is not ready to capitulate and give up its firm positions.
Pakistan searches for compromise between Iran and US
Despite the breakdown of US-Iranian contacts in Islamabad on April 11-12, the initiatives undertaken by the Pakistani leadership to reconcile the parties – including those that led to the indefinite extension of the ceasefire on April 22, as well as the mediator’s unsuccessful attempts to host a second meeting between the conflict participants on April 19-22 – Islamabad continued its search for a diplomatic resolution to the explosive situation in the name of achieving lasting peace in the region. Through regular contacts with Washington and Tehran, Pakistani leaders made additional mediation efforts to develop a mutually acceptable compromise and bring the parties’ positions closer together. The visit of Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to the Pakistani capital on April 24-25 was of great significance, and had he agreed to it, a meeting with high-ranking US representatives was being prepared. In any case, the Pakistani mediators were working toward new bilateral contacts. However, the Iranian leadership essentially refused further direct negotiations with the Americans, justifying their position by citing the continued naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, which limits the country’s oil exports, as well as the adversary’s maximalist and excessive ultimatum demands regarding Iran’s nuclear program (particularly a long-term moratorium on uranium enrichment and the transfer of its stockpiles to the United States). It seemed that negotiations had reached a dead end, and the prospects of once again seating both sides at the table were becoming increasingly distant due to the intransigence of the Iranians and the rigidity of the Americans.
But even such a deadlock did not stop Pakistani diplomacy. Having secured the support of many states, including China and Russia, it again set about working out conditions for the resumption of negotiations. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Field Marshal Asir Munir, and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held further telephone conversations with both sides, urging them to soften their positions and agree to resume dialogue. Omani officials also called upon the Iranian leaders to do so during the visit of Foreign Minister Araghchi to Muscat on April 26 after his trip to Islamabad. The goal of such conversations was to persuade Tehran to adopt a more flexible position. Based on the proposals received from the Iranians for the American side, the leaders of Pakistan conveyed calls to abandon threats and harsh demands, focusing instead on the issue of unblocking the passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, with the simultaneous lifting of the US naval blockade. Having reached an agreement on this issue, the parties could then proceed to discuss other contentious matters, primarily related to the future of Iran’s nuclear program.
Russian support for Pakistani mediation efforts in the Iran-US conflict
It is telling that after his trips to Islamabad and Muscat, Foreign Minister Araghchi once again stopped in the Pakistani capital and then proceeded on a visit to Russia to exchange views and determine further steps toward de-escalating the conflict in the Persian Gulf. During talks between Foreign Minister Araghchi and Russian President Putin and Foreign Minister Lavrov in St. Petersburg on April 27, the parties’ commitment to a peaceful resolution of the conflict and the resolution of existing differences through negotiations was reaffirmed. Although Russia, unlike Pakistan, is not a direct mediator between Washington and Tehran, it is clear that, given its strategic partnership with Iran, Moscow is ready to provide assistance in resolving the conflict in a just manner that serves Iranian interests.
The alarming situation currently at hand harbors the danger of escalating tensions and even resuming military hostilities if the long-distance dialogue does not result in a compromise agreement. The Americans continue to issue ultimatums and intend to conduct dialogue with Tehran from a position of strength and new threats. The Iranians, for their part, are not making concessions on fundamental issues, show interest in Pakistan’s mediation, but at the same time are preparing for the possible resumption of new US airstrikes.
Washington appears to be seeking ways out of the deadlock, but is unequivocally striving to emerge as the victor of the conflict. For now, the US is not ruling out the possible continuation of dialogue with Tehran, albeit on its own harsh terms, including maintaining the naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and whipping up military hysteria. The situation in the region remains uncertain and explosive, fraught with a new escalation of the conflict. At the same time, the mediators – above all Pakistan – are not resting on the fragile ceasefire achieved and are undertaking new efforts, both direct and remote, to ensure a more lasting peace in the region. The tug-of-war continues.
Anvar Azimov, diplomat and political scientist, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, PhD in History, Senior Researcher at the Eurasian Educational Institute of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation
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