‘Unfounded, Misleading’: Pakistan Rejects Reports of Stalled US-Iran Dialogue Efforts

Pakistan on Saturday firmly rejected reports claiming its initiative to facilitate dialogue between the United States and Iran had stalled, calling such assertions unfounded and misleading.

Calling the reports “baseless” and a “figment of imagination,” foreign office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi dismissed them outright.

“We have noted several reports in the media, including on social media, citing so-called official government sources regarding the ongoing conflict in the region and Pakistan's efforts to promote peace and dialogue,” he said, reported news agency PTI.

Speculation emerged after a senior official of the Foreign Ministry briefed a select group of journalists on Pakistan’s efforts to find a negotiated settlement of the ongoing conflict.

Why did Pakistan raise concerns over the “misrepresented” foreign ministry briefing?

He said that it was a matter of concern that the briefing held on Friday at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had been “misrepresented”.

The clarification came amid growing speculation following a closed-door briefing by one of Islamabad's senior foreign ministry official.

Andrabi said the controversy stemmed from a misreading of a background briefing held on Friday at the ministry of foreign affairs.

He flagged concern over how the interaction was reported at a time of heightened tensions in the region.

He said that at a time of heightened regional sensitivity, diplomacy requires both discretion and responsibility.

“We therefore urge all media platforms to exercise due diligence, avoid speculation and rely exclusively on officially issued statements and media readouts for accurate and timely information,” he said.

The Dawn newspaper had reported that the unnamed official said some ground had been covered, with messages relayed between Washington and Tehran, but the absence of a clear Iranian signal has slowed momentum at this critical stage.

“It is surprising that despite the obliteration of significant naval, air force, and other military and civilian infrastructure, Iran has not responded positively to calls for negotiations,” the official, who is familiar with the discussions, was quoted as saying.

The same official noted that both Pakistan and China had encouraged Tehran to come to the table, but “Tehran has so far not conveyed its readiness to take part in the dialogue”.

A report by the Wall Street Journal said that Iran has refused to engage with any US-led delegation in Islamabad.