Sharif urges US-Iran restraint as he hosts Iranian minister

KARACHI, Pakistan (MNTV) — Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif urged the United States and Iran on Tuesday to show restraint and avoid steps that could further destabilize the region, as he hosted Iran’s visiting interior minister in Islamabad.

Sharif made the appeal in a meeting with Eskandar Momeni, according to an official statement, voicing deep concern over the recent escalation in the Gulf and reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to regional stability.

He said Pakistan would keep acting as an honest mediator working toward a negotiated settlement of the months-long conflict, and conveyed his good wishes to Iranian Supreme Leader Sayyid Mojtaba Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Interior Minister Mohsin Raza Naqvi were among those present.

Momeni thanked Pakistani leaders for the mediation efforts that produced the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding in June.

He had arrived on Monday for talks on the evolving situation and on a de-escalation proposal backed by Pakistan and Qatar, aimed at ending the fighting and reviving stalled negotiations, sources earlier told Anadolu.

Momeni also called on army chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir in Rawalpindi, where the two discussed regional and bilateral security and border management, according to the Pakistan Army.

Momeni praised Pakistan’s diplomatic role in easing tensions, and both sides agreed to maintain close coordination on regional security.

Earlier Tuesday, he attended a parade held in his honor by Islamabad police, reviewing it alongside Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry.