Continuing close consultations with Islamabad over search for Middle East stability, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed promoting “a durable peace between Israel and Iran” with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
“The two leaders acknowledged the importance of working together to promote a durable peace between Israel and Iran and maintaining regional stability,” Tammy Bruce, US State Department Spokesperson, said.
“Secretary Rubio emphasized Iran can never develop or acquire a nuclear weapon,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
This was the second conversation between the top U.S. diplomat and the Pakistani leader over Israel-Iran conflict and regional issues in the last two weeks.
President Donald Trump, earlier this week, announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran to halt a war that began on June 13 when Israel launched a deadly attack on Iran that was condemned by many countries of the world.
Last week, President Trump hosted a lunch in honor of Pakistan’s Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir at the White House last week where they discussed Iran, which the U.S. leader said Pakistan knew about better than most other countries.
The Israel-Iran conflict had raised alarms in a region that was already on edge since the start of Israel’s devastating war in Gaza in October 2023.
Pakistan, which shares a long border with Iran, denounced the attacks on Iran and called for a negotiated settlement of the issue.
Iran controls the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which facilitates 20 percent of the global oil shipping, and any blockade of the key sea route could raise world oil prices.
President Trump has also hailed Pakistan after it proposed the U.S. leader for 2026 Nobel Peace Prize.
In May, President Trump played a critical role in stopping Pakistan-India conflict, which, he feared, could have gone nuclear in the face of prolonged clashes.
Islamabad and Washington have also enhanced their counterterrorism cooperation in recent months.
Follow for more: Twitter (X) | Facebook | Instagram | LinkeIn
