Canada welcomes Pakistan’s role in facilitating understanding between the United States and Iran

Canada has welcomed Pakistan’s “constructive role” in supporting diplomatic engagement and mediation efforts between the United States and Iran, which helped facilitate the recent agreement between the two countries, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (FO) on Thursday.

This statement comes hours after Iran and the United States electronically signed the “Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding”, and the memorandum would come into force immediately. As a first step, the Islamic Republic of Iran will instantly reopen the Strait of Hormuz and the United States will immediately lift the naval blockade.

This recognition came during a telephone conversation between Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ishaq Dar and Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand on Wednesday evening.

According to FO, Anand “lauded Pakistan’s constructive role in supporting diplomatic engagement and mediation efforts between the United States and Iran, which helped facilitate the understanding reached between the two sides.”

The two ministers also discussed on Friday “the upcoming engagement between the parties in Bürgenstock, Switzerland”, the statement said, referring to the next round of diplomatic contacts between Washington and Tehran.

Beyond regional diplomacy, the conversation focused on bilateral relations. FO said the two ministers, “appreciating the positive momentum in relations between Pakistan and Canada, reaffirmed their commitment to expanding cooperation in areas of mutual interest.”

Read: Prime Minister Shehbaz announces signing of ‘Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding’ by US, Iranian leaders

Iran and the United States recently reached a Pakistan-brokered peace deal, with both sides declaring an immediate and permanent end to military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon. The two sides would hold negotiations for up to 60 days, with the possibility of extending the negotiations if necessary due to the complexity of the issues involved.

The war, which sparked a global energy crisis, erupted after the United States and Israel carried out a series of attacks on Iran on February 28, leading to the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced early Monday in a message on X the peace agreement that ended the three-month conflict in the Gulf. He said the official agreement signing ceremony would take place on June 19 in Switzerland.

US President Donald Trump also declared an end to the war in an article on Truth Social.

Pakistani leaders, including Prime Minister Shehbaz and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, have actively pursued diplomatic engagement between the two sides since the start of the conflict. The first ceasefire agreement reached between the United States and Iran in April was also achieved thanks to Pakistan’s efforts.

Trump has repeatedly appreciated Pakistan’s mediating role during the conflict, while world leaders have also praised Islamabad for facilitating diplomatic engagement between the two sides, which ultimately led to a peace agreement.