ISLAMABAD: Driven by China, Pakistan is exploring resuming stalled US-Iran talks to end the nearly five-month-old war, three Pakistani sources said. Exploratory discussions were held during Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momenei’s visit to Islamabad this week, his second in the past 10 days, sources said. Momeni, who is considered close to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, met with members of the Pakistani government and Army Chief of Staff Asim Munir, according to a Pakistani government statement. All three sources warned that obstacles to any negotiations with the United States remained high.As a potential future mediator, Pakistan finds itself facing an increasingly complex situation. Earlier this week, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement announced a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is a close ally of Islamabad and signed a mutual defense treaty with Pakistan last year. Pakistan relies on financial support from Saudi Arabia, and Islamabad has firmly condemned recent Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. It could be frustrating for Riyadh if it is seen as being too receptive to Iran’s views.But Islamabad is also dependent on Beijing, which is also Islamabad’s main financial backer and has an economic interest in finding diplomatic solutions to reopen key West Asian trade routes. Three Pakistani sources said Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar also discussed the new initiative with Chinese officials when he visited China last week.“The Chinese are unhappy because Iran’s attacks on other Gulf countries and closure of the Strait of Hormuz are harming their interests,” a Pakistani government official said. China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that “China supports the mediation efforts of Pakistan and other parties.”Despite international sanctions on Tehran, Beijing remains Iran’s largest trading partner and major buyer of crude oil. Over the years, China has also increased its support for Iran’s security through dual-use parts, chip equipment and satellite navigation systems, although it has not publicly provided military aid to Iran since the war began.(This is a Reuters report)
