New Delhi, Sep 10 (IANS): It was but a fleeting moment of belief for Pakistan that it could successfully guide the United States and Iran towards the negotiating table for an end to the war in West Asia despite its strategic commitments in the region that go against Tehran’s interests.
Pakistan stood at the centre of two seemingly contradictory roles: one to act as a mediator between Washington and Tehran while simultaneously entering into a defence pact with Saudi Arabia, and later, Turkey.
This simultaneous role has exposed Islamabad’s contradiction between balancing peacemaking with alliance commitments that implicitly target Tehran, with the duality raising questions about Pakistan’s credibility as a neutral broker and the sustainability of its foreign policy strategy.
United States-Iran talks did begin in Islamabad in April after hours of suspense, but ended without an agreement. Intervention by Qatar later also could not help ease the situation. The initiative reportedly produced the Geneva Agreement in June, where Pakistan’s military chief Asim Munir and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar played their roles in the limelight on a “14-point accord” while Doha coordinated in the background.
But the effort failed to bring about lasting peace in the region.
Reports now suggest that Pakistan has recently delivered a warning to Iran. It has taken Riyadh’s message to Iran for Tehran to rein in its Yemeni Houthi allies from attacking Saudi Arabia.
This move comes from Pakistan’s September 2025 Makkah Joint Defence Pact with Saudi Arabia, pledging that any attack on one country will be treated as an attack on both. Turkey joined it last month, building upon the earlier Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement amidst the ongoing war with Iran. A secretariat was established in Riyadh, with Pakistan slated to provide the first Secretary-General, underscoring its central role in the alliance.
Soon after, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif warned that Houthi attacks spilling into Saudi territory would trigger the pact, signalling its operational seriousness.
The United States designates the Houthis as a “Foreign Terrorist Organisation”.
By end-August, senior officials from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey had convened in Istanbul to discuss regional security, with the Iran war looming large on the agenda. Thus, while Pakistan presents itself as a neutral mediator, striving to bring peace between the United States and Iran, it is bound to a collective defence pact with what are now two of Tehran’s regional adversaries over the present crisis.
Till now, Pakistan sought to downplay the contradiction by insisting the pact is defensive, not offensive, also emphasising that mediation efforts remain ongoing. But with the reported development this week, its role is now ambiguous.
By delivering Riyadh’s warning, Pakistan enters a new phase in intervention, upsetting its balancing act with Saudi Arabia and Iran.
The implications for regional stability are significant. If the pact is invoked against Iran-backed groups, it could escalate tensions, undermining Pakistan’s peace narrative.
Moreover, the alliance could draw Pakistan deeper into conflicts that it has historically sought to avoid, particularly in the Gulf.
Critics thus point to Pakistan’s credibility as a mediator seemingly weakened by its alliance commitments. Mediation requires trust from all parties, and Iran may no longer view Pakistan as impartial. Unless Pakistan clarifies its priorities, its credibility as a peace broker will erode, leaving it trapped between its allies’ expectations and its own diplomatic ambitions.
Despite its cautious reaction, some reports quoted regional analysts on Tehran’s worries that the pact could eventually facilitate coordinated pressure on Iran in Yemen, Iraq, and economically through Turkey and Pakistan.
