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Pakistan Hosts Indirect US-Iran Talks Amid Tehran’s Threats of Ground War

Pakistan Hosts Indirect US-Iran Talks Amid Tehran’s Threats of Ground War
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Pakistan prepared to host indirect talks between the United States and Iran even as Tehran warned on Sunday that any U.S. ground troops entering the conflict would be “set on fire,” underscoring the perilous mix of diplomacy and brinkmanship shaping the month‑old war. The overture came as the fighting, which began with U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, had killed more than 3,000 people across the region and disrupted vital energy routes. apnews +1

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif first announced on March 24 that Pakistan was “ready and honored” to host negotiations aimed at a “comprehensive settlement” between Washington and Tehran. Islamabad has since convened foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt for two days of talks starting March 29, seeking to build a regional framework that could eventually fold in U.S. and Iranian envoys, likely through indirect contacts. aljazeera +2

Pakistan’s High‑Risk Bid to Become a Peace Broker

Pakistan leaned on its rare ties with both the U.S. and Iran to cast itself as an indispensable mediator, reviving a role it played during the Cold War as a backchannel between rival powers. Sharif and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar framed the Islamabad meetings as the nucleus of a “de-escalation mechanism,” arguing that only diplomacy and limited confidence‑building steps could halt the slide toward wider war. aljazeera +2

Officials touted one early concession: Tehran agreed to allow 20 Pakistani‑flagged ships, capped at two per day, to transit the Strait of Hormuz, a modest but symbolically important step to ease pressure on shipping lanes that have been repeatedly targeted since the war began. apnews +1 Pakistani and Saudi, Turkish and Egyptian diplomats also discussed how to stitch together regional support for a U.S. 15‑point framework that Washington circulated as a potential basis for ending hostilities, though Iran publicly criticized the plan as one‑sided. reuters +1

Tehran’s Threats, U.S. Troop Movements Raise Stakes

Even as Pakistan pushed diplomacy, Tehran’s top parliamentarian, Mohammad‑Bagher Ghalibaf, warned that Iranian forces were “waiting for the arrival of the American soldiers on the ground to set them on fire,” accusing Washington of plotting an invasion while talking peace. apnews +1 Iran’s Revolutionary Guard coupled those threats with warnings that U.S. bases and allied targets across the region, including in the Gulf, could be hit if ground forces entered the fight. npr +1

The U.S. has surged additional assets to the region, including thousands of Marines aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli and expected deployments from the 82nd Airborne Division, moves that fueled Iranian fears and international concern about escalation. npr +1 Secretary of State Marco Rubio insisted Washington could achieve its aims “without ground troops,” but European governments and the United Nations continued to urge restraint, wary that any misstep could widen the war and further roil global energy markets. apnews +1

The Bigger Picture

Pakistan’s mediation drive unfolded at a moment when both war fatigue and strategic mistrust were deepening: Iran signaled readiness to review U.S. proposals even as its leaders warned of a “surprise” for any invading troops, while Washington balanced talk of diplomacy with visible preparations for contingencies. reuters +2 Whether Islamabad’s initiative can bridge that gap will determine not only the trajectory of the U.S.-Iran confrontation, but also the stability of a region whose oil and shipping lanes remain central to the global economy. aljazeera +1