Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Sunday held a telephone conversation with his Iranian counterpart, Seyyed Abbas Araghchi, to discuss the evolving regional situation and an ongoing meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers in Baghdad, the FO said. In a post on X, the FO said the two leaders had discussed “the evolving regional situation” and “the ongoing OIC Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Baghdad”.
FM Dar “underscored the importance of continued dialogue and diplomacy in addressing regional challenges”, the statement said. The two foreign ministers also “agreed to maintain close contact.” Pakistan and Iran were expected to hold further consultations on regional peace efforts on the sidelines of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers meeting.
Iranian state news agency IRNA reported that the meeting would provide an opportunity for consultations between key regional players, including Islamabad and Tehran.
Pakistan has continued to advocate a negotiated settlement to the conflict involving Iran and the United States. On October 9, the military’s media wing chief, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, said Pakistan remained committed to a “negotiated and peaceful outcome” and warned against the conflict spreading further across the region.
He said Pakistan had condemned attacks on Iran by the United States and Israel, as well as Iranian attacks on Arab and Gulf countries.
Earlier in the day, FM Dar also held a telephone conversation with his Egyptian counterpart, Badr Abdelatty, and strongly condemned the Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia, reaffirming their full solidarity with the Kingdom and support for its sovereignty, territorial integrity and security.
In a post on X, the FO said the two leaders also discussed the next meeting of the R-4 grouping, comprising Pakistan, Egypt, Turkiye and Saudi Arabia, during a telephone conversation.
“The two leaders exchanged views on recent regional developments,” the ministry added. Both looked forward to holding the next R-4 meeting soon to “further strengthen mutual ties and to coordinate on the regional issues.”
According to the FO, the R-4 framework brings together Pakistan, Egypt, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia to strengthen ties and coordinate on regional issues.
The four countries have been coordinating under the R-4 framework, which was launched earlier this year to intensify consultations on regional crises, particularly the conflict involving the United States and Iran and broader efforts to promote regional stability.
Separately, Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has rejected social media claims that the US Navy is operating from Pakistani territory against Iran with Islamabad’s approval, describing them as baseless propaganda.
In a post on its fact-check account, the ministry said the claim originated from a North America-based social media account and was subsequently circulated further.
“Fabricated propaganda by a North America-based account and questioningly proliferated further, that the US Navy is somehow operating from Pakistani territory against Iran, with alleged Pakistani approval, is baseless and part of wider agenda of sowing confusion, misperceptions and chaos,” the ministry said. “Truth Prevails over Falsehood,” the ministry said in its statement.
The statement came hours after Pakistan temporarily suspended trade across its border with Iran in the southwestern Balochistan province over security concerns, a district official said on Saturday, as traders warned of substantial financial losses from the closure.
“Trade through the Iran border has been temporarily suspended due to security reasons,” Chagai Deputy Commissioner Bakhtiar Ismail said in a post on X. “Pakistan-Iran border closure is a temporary measure to improve border management to support counterterrorism efforts,” he added. “The border will be opened as soon as effective measures are in place.”