In meetings with US, Iran delegations, PM Shehbaz expresses Pakistan’s desire for durable peace

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday held separate meetings with delegations from the United States and Iran as the Islamabad Talks began and expressed Pakistan’s desire to achieve “durable peace in the region”.

The US delegation is led by US Vice President JD Vance, who is accompanied by US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.

The Iranian delegation is led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and also includes Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, along with other leaders.

PM Shehbaz held a meeting with the Iranian delegation at the Islamabad Talks today, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement

Pakistan is today the United States’ most important economic ally, and at the same time, Pakistan also has a very good relationship with Iran, although it has at times been complicated. However, a large part of Pakistan’s oil and gas supply comes from Iran, so Pakistan has an interest in ensuring that instability in Iran does not negatively affect Pakistan. This includes issues such as refugee flows and supply security — in other words, they want to maintain the possibility of continuing the gas and oil pipeline project they have sought for many years. At the same time, they are concerned about the spread of regional militant movements that operate in both Iran and Pakistan.