‘Perturbed’ with Netanyahu, Trump says he wants to meet Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei
Trump said that he was "perturbed" at Netanyahu's military escalation in Lebanon.
India is not a “dalal nation” like Pakistan in global geopolitics, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said during an all-party meeting called by the government to brief the Opposition on the Middle East conflict.
According to reports, the minister made the remarks after Opposition MPs highlighted that Pakistan is reportedly mediating talks between the United States and Iran while New Delhi is sitting silent.
Advertisement
He also reportedly told the attendees that Pakistan has been “used” by the US since 1981 and that there is nothing new in such mediation efforts.
Advertisement
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday publicly offered to host the US-Iran peace talks. US President Donald Trump had posted a screenshot of Sharif’s X post on X, apparently endorsing the idea.
The United States and Iran have been talking to each other through regional intermediaries. Before calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, Trump had spoken to Pakistani Army Chief Asim Munir.
After their conversation, Sharif had spoken to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to discuss the conflict.
Pakistan, a country that has long been accused of sponsoring terrorism, playing the mediator’s role between the US and Iran has sparked concerns.
The Opposition has been questioning the government’s foreign policy, with Congress leader Tariq Anwar slamming the government for being a “mute spectator”.
“Pakistan is performing the mediator’s role while we are still mute spectators,” Anwar said after the all-party meeting.
He said that the meeting was unsatisfactory and reiterated the Congress party’s demand for a debate in the House.
“Meeting was unsatisfactory; Oppn’s primary demand is for debate in LS, RS on the West Asia situation,” he added.
However, Jaishankar countered the charge asserting that India is not silent on the matter and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has told US President Donald Trump that the war must stop as it is harming the interests of all sides.
Pakistan relaying messages between Iran and US
A top government official in Pakistan has said that the country is relaying messages between Iran and the US with the aim to help de-escalate the West Asia conflict, according to reports.
“We are trying to broker US-Iran peace talks and have also offered Islamabad as a venue for the purpose. But it will be possible if Iran agrees to sit at the table with America,” a top official in the Shehbaz Sharif administration was quoted as saying.
He further claimed that Pakistan has handed over the US peace proposal to Iran and conveyed Tehran’s conditions to Washington.
“At the moment, Pakistan is relaying messages between the US and Iran. Islamabad not only handed over the 15-point proposal of the US to Iran but also Tehran’s demands to the Trump administration to ink a peace deal,” he added.
Advertisement
