ISLAMABAD/JERUSALEM/TEL AVIV, March 24 (Reuters) – Pakistan’s prime minister said on Tuesday he was willing to host talks between the U.S. and Iran on ending the war in the Gulf, a day after President Donald Trump postponed threats to bomb Iranian power plants, saying there had been “productive” talks.
In a post on X, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan welcomed and fully supported ongoing efforts to pursue dialogue to end the war.
“Subject to concurrence by the U.S. and Iran, Pakistan stands ready and honoured to be the host to facilitate meaningful and conclusive talks for a comprehensive settlement,” he said.
The U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28 after saying they had failed to make enough headway in talks aimed at ending Iran’s nuclear program, although mediator Oman said significant progress had been made.
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Since then, Iran has attacked countries that host U.S. bases, struck Gulf energy infrastructure and effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, conduit for a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas, creating the worst energy supply shock in history.
A Pakistani government source said discussions on a meeting were at an advanced stage and if it did happen, “a big ‘if’”, it would take place within a week.
The war is already taking a toll on major economies around the world, according to business surveys on Tuesday which showed how a surge in energy prices and rising uncertainty were dampening activity and pushing inflation expectations higher.
IRAN DENIES TALKS HAVE TAKEN PLACE
On the ground, there were no signs of conflict abating in the Gulf or Lebanon, where Israel is carrying out a parallel operation against the militant group Hezbollah, which has fired at Israel in support of its patron Iran.
An Iranian missile was intercepted over Lebanese airspace for the first time on Tuesday, three senior Lebanese security sources said, with two of them saying a foreign naval vessel was responsible for the interception.
Trump said on Monday the U.S. and Iran had held “very good and productive” conversations about a “complete and total resolution of hostilities in the Middle East” and that he was postponing for five days a plan to hit Iran’s energy grid.
He said talks had begun on Sunday and continued into Monday, with Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner involved.
But after Trump’s Truth Social comment on Monday, Iran denied that any talks had been held.