ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan and Qatar on Thursday stepped up diplomatic efforts to salvage the fragile peace process between Iran and the United States after a new military escalation threatened to derail the Islamabad memorandum of understanding, which ended months of hostilities.
The latest crisis erupted after the United States launched a new wave of strikes against Iranian military targets, saying the attacks were a response to Iran’s assault on commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran responded with missile and drone attacks targeting US military installations in the Gulf, raising fears of all-out war.
Amid rapidly deteriorating security situation, Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defense Force Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir held a telephonic conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Thursday evening.
According to Iran’s official IRNA news agency, Araghchi strongly condemned the latest US military strikes, calling them a “blatant violation” of the United Nations Charter and the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding. He said statements by senior U.S. officials that they were no longer bound by the deal amounted to an admission that Washington had violated the deal.
The Iranian foreign minister also reiterated Tehran’s determination to defend its sovereignty, territorial integrity and national security, warning against what he called new American “adventurism.”
Pakistan has yet to release an official account of the conversation. The phone call comes as Islamabad steps up its behind-the-scenes diplomacy to prevent the collapse of the peace process.
The Foreign Ministry on Wednesday expressed “deep concern” over the resumption of violence, calling on all parties to exercise restraint and honor their commitments under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding.
“There is no alternative to continued engagement, dialogue and diplomacy,” the Foreign Ministry said, warning that resuming conflict served no one’s interests.
Diplomatic sources said Pakistan and Qatar, the two main facilitators of the June peace deal, remain in close contact with Tehran and Washington with the aim of restoring the ceasefire and resuming negotiations on outstanding issues, including maritime security, sanctions relief and implementation of the MoU.
The latest outbreak of violence began after three commercial ships, including a Qatari LNG tanker, were attacked in the Strait of Hormuz. The United States has accused Iran of violating the ceasefire by targeting international shipping, prompting President Donald Trump to declare the truce was effectively over before authorizing further military strikes against Iranian targets.
Iran, however, insists that the United States was the first to violate the agreement by attacking Iranian territory. Tehran maintains that only routes designated by Iranian authorities are authorized for commercial transit through the Strait of Hormuz, a position rejected by Washington and several states in the region.
The resumption of hostilities casts serious doubts on the future of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, signed in June after weeks of painstaking negotiations brokered by Pakistan with the strong support of Qatar. The agreement was intended as an interim framework aimed at ending military operations and creating the necessary conditions for negotiations on broader political and security issues.
Diplomatic observers say the coming days will be crucial for the future of the deal. Although neither Tehran nor Washington has formally withdrawn from the memorandum of understanding, both sides are now accusing the other of violating its provisions, making the task of mediators increasingly difficult.
Despite this sharp escalation, Pakistani officials remain hopeful that sustained diplomatic engagement can prevent a complete collapse of the peace process.
Officials say maintaining communication channels with the two capitals remains essential to contain the crisis and bring the parties back to negotiations before the conflict escalates into another large-scale regional confrontation.
