Dar holds phone call with Iranian FM amid latest attacks in Mideast, calls for de-escalation and restraint

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held a telephone call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday, calling for restraint and de-escalation as tensions rose in the Middle East with a fresh wave of attacks by the US on Iran and retaliatory strikes at US assets and bases by Tehran.

During the phone call, both leaders exchanged views on the evolving regional situation, the Foreign Office (FO) said in a post on X.

It added that DPM Dar stressed “upon the parties to follow the path of de-escalation and show restraint, as agreed in the Islamabad MoU in June 2026”.

The Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding — a 14-point interim peace deal aimed at ending the war — was signed between the US and Iran on June 18. Pakistan is also a signatory as a mediator.

Pakistan has been leading the peace efforts since the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran in late February, setting off a war and global fuel crisis as Tehran took measures to disrupt traffic in the Strait of Hormuz — a vital maritime corridor for the supply of oil and gas.

The signing of the MoU had raised hopes of some relief as the world reeled from the fuel crunch and the economic impact of Hormuz’s closure. However, a series of attacks between the US and Iran over the past several days led President Donald Trump to declare the end of the ceasefire.

The Middle East remained tense on Sunday as the US military launched fresh strikes on Iran after the latter struck a container ship while Tehran said it had again closed the Strait of Hormuz and escalated attacks on US facilities in states across the Gulf.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had destroyed a command and control centre and drone hangars at ​a base in US ally Jordan, targeted a US military radar site in Kuwait, attacked US aircraft carrier support and refueling platforms in Oman and destroyed a fighter jet maintenance centre and command and control facility in Qatar.

Against this backdrop, Dar emphasised in his phone call with Araghchi that dialogue and diplomacy were the “only viable path to resolving disputes and achieving lasting peace and stability in the region”, the FO said.

“DPM/FM reiterated Pakistan’s readiness to continue playing a constructive role in promoting and maintaining regional peace and stability. The two leaders agreed to remain in close contact,” it added. ...