Diplomatic off-ramp

THE international community appeared to let out a sigh of relief when US President Donald Trump pulled away on Monday from his threat to bomb Iranian energy facilities unless Tehran reopened the Strait of Hormuz. There was a remarkable change in Mr Trump’s tone as he claimed that “productive” talks were taking place with Iran. Tehran downplayed the matter, simply saying that Washington’s messages had been received.

And in the midst of this high geopolitical drama, Pakistan has emerged as a key intermediary, along with Egypt and Turkiye, as it maintains contacts with both the US and Iran. There has, in fact, been speculation that Islamabad could be a venue for talks, while the prime minister has tweeted that Pakistan would be “honoured” to host the parleys “subject to concurrence by the US and Iran”.

Perhaps Mr Trump’s decision to defer what would have been a catastrophic attack on Iranian power plants — inviting an equally destructive Iranian reply aimed at regional US interests — has been shaped by the realisation that this war is unwinnable. As this unnecessary conflict drags on, the global economy sinks deeper into the quagmire each day, while the threat of a conflagration consuming the entire region edges ever closer.

It seems that a mix of incompetence and arrogance has been guiding the American war effort. Reports suggest that Mossad had painted a rosy picture of the Iranian people welcoming their US-Israeli ‘liberators’ with flowers once their clerical leadership had been ‘decapitated’. Nothing of the sort has occurred, and it seems that more rational minds may be advising Mr Trump to cut his losses and exit this doomed campaign.

If any potential talks are to succeed, there should be an immediate ceasefire. Even after the announcement of talks, Israeli bombardment of Iran continued, along with Iran’s response. For immediate calm and long-term peace, there must be guarantees that Iran will not be attacked by the US-Israeli combine again. Tehran has good reason to be suspicious; it has been attacked twice during negotiations with the US. Many believe Mr Trump may be buying time to move in more troops.

Pakistan and other regional states are putting in commendable efforts to extinguish the fires of war. But until the warmongers in Washington and Tel Aviv commit to respecting the sovereignty of regional states — Israel is also attacking Lebanon — such efforts may not succeed. The dreams of regime change and the creation of ‘Greater Israel’ must be consigned to the dustbin, and a new regional order based on respect for the sovereignty and security of all states, led and managed by regional states instead of outsiders, can be forged to bring lasting peace to the Gulf and the wider Middle East.

Published in Dawn, March 25th, 2026