According to him, the agreement was structured in two phases, with three issues during the second phase having “constituted a source of real problems”.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ishaq Dar addressing the National Assembly. SCREENSHOT
Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar tabled the three-page U.S.-Iran deal in the National Assembly on Wednesday, saying phase two would involve technical discussions on nuclear issues, sanctions and frozen assets, as well as Lebanon.
Addressing the National Assembly (NA) session, Dar said he recorded it alongside the June 22 joint communiqué issued by the United States, 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 meeting, so that if any colleague wishes to see this document, take a copy of it or quote from it, there will be no misunderstanding,” he said.
He added that each page of the agreement had initials and the third page had full signatures, and that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had also uploaded the communiqué on its website.
“All accepted it, and its copy was also placed by our Ministry of Foreign Affairs on its website, so that colleagues who need to see what the result was, what the road map is, how to move forward, I will also publish the copy, the one published by the four countries from Switzerland on June 22, in the file of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, so that any member of the National Assembly or the Senate can see it,” he said.
Giving the House a detailed account of how the deal was reached, Dar said the breakthrough came after a 21-hour negotiating session on April 10 and 11. The session took place over six rounds, with breaks taken not for rest but for consultation, continuing until Fajr, Dar said. “I pay tribute to both sides,” he added, stressing that they had agreed to sit at the same table on the condition that Pakistan, their mutually chosen mediator, was also present.
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The foreign minister said the US delegation consisted of Vice President JD Vance, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Iran was represented by its senior president, Bagher Ghalibaf, and two other senior officials, including a secretary of the National Security Council.
“The Pakistani delegation was led by me, along with Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defense Force Field Marshal Asim Munir and DG ISI,” he said.
However, after those talks stalled – with both sides having to refer to their respective leaders – Dar said serious apprehensions emerged in the following weeks that the process might not succeed.
He thanked Prime Minister Shehbaz, Field Marshal Munir and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for persisting despite apprehensions, saying: “They did not give up. Hope was not given up.”
Additionally, Dar noted that a regional forum including Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey has also “engaged proactively,” holding meetings in Riyadh on March 19, then in Antalya, Islamabad on March 29 and, most recently, in Egypt.
Regarding the deal itself, Dar revealed that it was initially scheduled to be physically signed in Geneva on June 19 at the Intercontinental Hotel, with arrangements already in place. However, on the night of June 18, a sudden event changed the situation. President Trump, in France for the G7 summit, decided to sign electronically on the sidelines of the forum. The document was then transmitted to Iran and President Pezeshkian signed it. Prime Minister Shehbaz then signed as mediator on behalf of Pakistan.
“The physical ceremony was then moved to Burgenstock in Switzerland, at a property owned by the Qatar Investment Authority, at the request of the United States and Qatar. Talks held there on Sunday and Monday, involving all four parties, resulted in the June 22 joint communiqué,” Dar said.
He also mentioned that Pakistan had 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 one way or the other, we did not allow anything to be made public.” »
Regarding the Foreign Ministry, Dar said: “When they told me ‘give us a copy of the latest draft’, I replied: ‘until both sides 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 the fuel price hike rather than passing it on, with special instructions issued to the Finance Ministry. After three weeks, prices began to be reflected and four chief ministers were summoned 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 issues, sanctions and frozen assets, and Lebanon, which he said has been “a source of real problems.” He noted that Israel attacked Lebanon again when the deal was almost finalized, delaying negotiations for two days before a new ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel allowed the process to resume.
Regarding the economic impact, Dar said prices have already fallen, the US naval blockade has ended and Iran has removed all fees, surcharges, permits and authorizations.
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On Pakistan’s broader diplomatic stance, Dar told the House that at a recent diplomatic forum, the United States had officially declared that “Pakistan has become, through the role it has played in this dispute between the United States and Iran, something unimaginable, and Pakistan has become a security provider in this region.”
He said it was a country that only a few years ago was called diplomatically isolated and today, “Pakistan has become what was once called a terrorist country, today it is remembered as a peacemaker.”
On China, Dar said: “I will be failing in my duty if I do not recognize China’s role.” On March 31, the Chinese 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 any tolls or restrictions and restored to its pre-February 28 status. The announcement sparked calls from foreign ministers in several capitals. “I received dozens of calls from foreign ministers in various capitals. Europe supported him,” Dar said.
Throughout the process, according to the foreign minister, Pakistan maintained strict neutrality as mediator, refusing 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 mutual strategic defense agreement signed with Saudi Arabia in September 2025, saying Pakistan had kept Iran informed of the sovereign agreement throughout.
The foreign minister also noted that Iran conveyed to Pakistan that “when difficult times came, we saw what a friend is and Pakistan fulfilled its obligations of friendship.” He concluded his speech by saying that the credit belonged to the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz, Field Marshal Munir and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but the ultimate success belonged to God.
