DPM Dar stresses need to build on Islamabad MoU commitments in meeting with Iran’s Araghchi

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Friday stressed the need to build upon the commitments enshrined in the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) during a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

Their meeting came after Washington and Tehran exchanged strikes over the past several days, with the former targeting Iranian military facilities along its southern coast and the latter targeting US bases in Gulf countries.

In a statement, the Foreign Office (FO) said the two top diplomats met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s Council of Foreign Ministers Meeting in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan. During the meeting, they reviewed the ongoing regional situation and bilateral ties.

“DPM/FM expressed deep concern over recent regional tensions and underscored the importance of dialogue, restraint, de-escalation by all sides, and sustained diplomatic engagement to achieve lasting peace and stability,” the FO said in a post on X.

“He emphasised the need to build on the understandings reached under the Islamabad MoU of June 2026.”

According to the FO, Araghchi expressed appreciation for Pakistan’s continued diplomatic support and efforts in promoting regional peace and security, thanking Islamabad for facilitating the safe return and repatriation of Iranian fishermen and sailors, including those from vessels interdicted by the US.

“The two sides agreed to maintain close coordination and regular consultations on issues of mutual interest and reaffirmed their commitment to working together for regional peace, stability and shared prosperity,” the statement concluded.

The renewed fighting between the two sides since July 8 has cast further doubt on the future of ​the MoU, signed on June 18, that aimed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the war after a further 60 days of negotiations.

Two weeks since the effective collapse of an interim truce meant to end the war, the US military launched air strikes on Iran late on Thursday and early on Friday, for a 13th consecutive night of attacks.

US Central Command (Centcom) said the latest strikes lasted more than two hours.

“Centcom targeted Iranian military command centres, drone storage facilities, communication networks, coastal surveillance sites and maritime capabilities to further diminish the threat Iran poses to civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz,” it said in a statement.

On both Thursday and Friday, Iranian state media said missiles struck Qeshm Island on the Strait of Hormuz, the virtually closed waterway that is the focus of a war well into its fifth month that has killed thousands and fanned fears of a global economic downturn. ...