Pakistan and Turkey express serious concerns over rising tensions, stress diplomacy is the only path to peace
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ishaq Dar with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan Photo: X/ForeignOfficePk
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar held talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Wednesday, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry announced on X.
Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar @MIshaqDar50 spoke yesterday evening with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan @HakanFidan.
They discussed the developments in the regional situation and expressed their serious concern over the rise in tensions.
DPM/FM highlighted the… pic.twitter.com/BvN0E4qw10
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) March 18, 2026
According to the ministry, the leaders “discussed the developments in the regional situation and expressed their deep concern over the rise in tensions.” Dar stressed the urgent need for de-escalation, emphasizing that constructive dialogue and diplomacy “remain the only effective way to resolve problems and promote peace and stability in the region.”
Read: Iran says Larijani assassination won’t weaken system as tensions rise after targeted strike
This conversation comes as the war between the United States and Israel against Iran continues, escalating tensions in the Middle East region. Iran targeted Tel Aviv with missiles carrying fragmentation warheads in retaliation for Israel’s assassination of Iranian security chief Ali Larijani, Iranian state television reported Wednesday.
The Islamic Republic will hold the funeral on Wednesday of Larijani and another Iranian figure killed by Israel on Tuesday, Gholamreza Soleimani, the head of the Basij paramilitary force, according to the Fars And Tasnim news agencies.
In addition to sending missiles and drones toward Israel and Gulf countries, Iran has also sought to exact a heavy toll on the global economy, including driving up the price of oil by effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway for crude. With oil still hovering around $100 a barrel, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned Wednesday that the war’s global repercussions are “just beginning and will affect everyone.”
Learn more: Iranian projectile hits near Australian base in UAE amid growing Middle East crisis
Meanwhile, as part of an effort to reopen Hormuz, where a fifth of the world’s crude passes, the US military said it had brought out some of the heaviest bombs in its arsenal to penetrate adjacent missile sites. The United States dropped several 5,000-pound (2,250 kg) bombs, costing an estimated $288,000 each, on “hardened Iranian missile sites” near the coast that posed a threat to international shipping, Central Command said.
Although the strait was effectively closed, the first Pakistani ship to transit through it entered the Arabian Sea via the Gulf of Oman and reached Pakistan’s maritime zone, carrying a cargo of 80 million liters of crude oil.
Turkey, for its part, shot down an Iranian ballistic missile on Friday. The Turkish Defense Ministry said the missile was shot down in Turkish airspace by NATO forces.
