US and Iran Agree to Two-Week Ceasefire with Pakistan as Diplomatic Courier
The United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire on April 8, with Pakistan serving as a diplomatic courier relaying messages between the two sides rather than a mediator shaping outcomes.
Pakistan delivered a 15-point US proposal to Iran that included demands to dismantle Iran's nuclear program, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and curb Tehran's support for armed groups. Iran rejected the proposal and sent a five-point counterproposal through Pakistan, calling for a halt to US-Israeli attacks, security guarantees, war reparations and no nuclear commitments.
Iran's foreign ministry acknowledged the indirect talks with the US "through Pakistani intermediaries."
Pakistan's Field Marshal Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif received credit for the role in facilitating the ceasefire and congratulatory calls from French President Emmanuel Macron, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Ahead of the agreement, Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar hosted a quadrilateral meeting in Islamabad with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt. Dar then traveled to Beijing on March 31 to meet Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, producing a joint China-Pakistan five-point initiative that was incorporated into the ceasefire framework.
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