Iran conflict tests Pakistan amid own border clashes as Islamabad touted as venue for US-Tehran talks

Pakistan is walking a tightrope arsenic the Iran warfare intensifies, with that equilibrium increasing much precarious with each passing day.

Islamabad has truthful acold pursued cautious diplomacy, condemning the strikes connected Iran, portion simultaneously urging de-escalation. But analysts pass it cannot stay insulated from competing pressures.

"Pakistan is putting itself guardant arsenic a mediator betwixt the U.S. and Iran, but unconvincingly," Edmund Fitton-Brown, a elder chap astatine the Foundation for Defense of Democracies told Fox News Digital. "Its ain grounds of staying retired of subject entanglements is unimpressive."

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At the forefront of the tensions is simply a caller defence agreement with Saudi Arabia, which states that aggression against 1 volition beryllium treated arsenic a menace to both. Widely seen arsenic 1 of Pakistan's astir consequential defence agreements, it commits the state to Riyadh, portion risking confrontation with Iran.

Shia Muslims holding portraits of Iran's slain ultimate person Ayatollah Ali Khamenei instrumentality portion successful an anti US-Israel protestation successful Islamabad connected March 6, 2026.  (Aamir Qureshi/ AFP via Getty Images)

Pakistan, the lone nuclear-armed Muslim state, already has troops stationed successful Saudi Arabia for grooming and defence enactment and has said determination is "no question" of coming to the kingdom's aid.

"Remember, Pakistan is geographically portion of some South Asia and Central Asia, arsenic good arsenic the wider Gulf/MENA portion too. Pakistan has ever pursued peace, dialog and bid due to the fact that we cognize what warfare does to our region," Mosharraf Zaidi, spokesperson for overseas media to the Pakistani premier minister, told Fox News Digital.

Within days of the war's outbreak, the country's service chief, General Asim Munir, made an "emergency" sojourn to Saudi Arabia, wherever apical officials discussed associated responses to Iranian strikes. It was the archetypal existent trial of the pact.

Relations are beardown betwixt the 2 nations, and Riyadh remains a cardinal economical lifeline for Islamabad. Saudi Arabia has already been making arrangements to enactment vigor supplies, arsenic war-driven substance disruptions deed import-dependent Pakistan.

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Yet Pakistan’s narration with Iran is arsenic critical. 

The 2 stock a 565-mile borderline on with heavy commercialized ties and important spiritual connections. 

Pakistan is location to the world’s second-largest Shiite assemblage aft Iran. Pro-Iran authorities protests successful the aftermath of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s assassination turned deadly, forcing subject involution and curfews.

Maintaining ties with Tehran is important for containing home tensions and staving disconnected an insurgency from the number Baloch assemblage there.

Iran is besides an important economical spouse to Pakistan, which has been facing a terrible economical crisis. The 2 behaviour important trade, with a caller extremity of $10 cardinal by 2028.

Pakistan’s overseas curate has held "constant conversations" with his Iranian counterpart passim the conflict. And past week, a Pakistani lipid tanker transited the fundamentally blockaded Strait of Hormuz. Analysts noted it was the archetypal non-Iranian cargo vessel to bash truthful since tensions escalated, suggesting that harmless transition whitethorn person been negotiated. Officials adhd that much Pakistan-bound lipid tankers are apt to transverse the strait successful the coming days.

A screenshot of a marine postulation terminal showing vessels successful the Strait of Hormuz connected March 4, 2026. (Kpler/Marine Traffic)

Most of Pakistan’s crude and LNG imports walk done the Strait of Hormuz. But arsenic the warfare grinds on, analysts pass Pakistan’s country for neutrality is shrinking. 

Pakistan precocious went against Iran, backing a Gulf-led solution astatine the United Nations condemning determination aggression. Russia and China abstained.

Meanwhile, Iran's overseas curate conscionable called for determination coordination successful abstracted ​calls with Pakistan, Turkey and Egypt.

Shia Muslims holding portraits of Iran's slain ultimate person Ayatollah Ali Khamenei instrumentality portion successful an anti US-Israel protestation successful Islamabad connected March 6, 2026.  (Aamir Qureshi/ AFP via Getty Images)

At the aforesaid time, Islamabad indispensable besides navigate relations with Washington, yet different cardinal partner.

Under President Donald Trump’s 2nd term, Pakistan has sought person relations with the U.S., adjacent floating his sanction for the Nobel Peace Prize.

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Questions are besides emerging successful Washington. During a White House briefing, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the medication was coordinating with the Pentagon to measure whether Pakistan is supporting Iran, portion describing India arsenic a "good actor."

India’s positioning has added further pressure, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s caller sojourn to Israel.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets with Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu successful New Delhi, India connected February 25, 2026. (Photo by Press Information Bureau (PIB)/Anadolu via Getty Images)

"There is nary contradiction successful being perfectly committed to peace, dialog and order. The beardown relationships Pakistan has with the United States, with Saudi Arabia, with Iran and with China are a testament to Pakistan’s commitment," the Pakistani premier minister's spokesperson, Zaidi said.

So far, Pakistan has efficaciously positioned itself astatine the forefront of mediation efforts to extremity the ongoing conflict, leveraging its ties with each 3 powerhouses.

Reports bespeak that high-level talks betwixt the U.S. and Iran are acceptable for Islamabad arsenic aboriginal arsenic this weekend.

"Pakistan wants to substance to the U.S. and to beryllium a amended spouse than India. Because the Afghan Taliban person alienated Islamabad since 2021, determination are fewer remaining sore points betwixt the U.S. and Pakistan, with the second capable to contiguous arsenic an state against terrorism," Fitton-Brown said. "And astir determination parties privation to spot the situation extremity sooner alternatively than later. But cipher wants to spot the Islamic Republic strengthened successful Iran."

The spiraling warfare comes astatine a captious clip for Pakistan's already stretched military. Tensions with India stay elevated, portion borderline clashes, airstrikes, drone attacks and rising civilian casualties person go the norm with erstwhile affable neighbour Afghanistan.

The nations nosedived into an "all-out war," conscionable days earlier the Iran struggle broke out, and the unit shows nary signs of easing after fresh Pakistani strikes precocious deed the Afghan capital metropolis of Kabul.

Afghan Taliban fighters patrol adjacent the Afghanistan-Pakistan borderline successful Spin Boldak, Kandahar Province, pursuing exchanges of occurrence betwixt Pakistani and Afghan forces. (REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo)

"This geography and the region’s past is wherefore Pakistan steadfastly rejects India’s efforts astatine determination hegemony, it is wherefore Pakistan is pursuing a termination of the Afghan Taliban regime’s enactment for violent groups," Zaidi said. "We question a implicit cessation of coercion emanating from territory presently controlled by the Afghan Taliban."

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With Pakistan already managing tensions connected some its eastbound borderline with India and its occidental frontier with Afghanistan, a destabilized Iran could propulsion that strain further.

"If Islamabad is destabilized, it volition beryllium highly atrocious quality regionally and globally," Edmund Fitton-Brown told Fox. "The thought of a atomic powerfulness nether jihadi regularisation doesn’t carnivore reasoning about."