Pakistan has escalated intensive diplomatic contacts with regional players to pull Washington and Tehran back to negotiations, warning that countries of the Global South are bearing the heaviest burden of the conflict. The foreign ministry called on all sides to exercise maximum restraint after hostilities resumed on 7 July following ship attacks in the Gulf.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said the week-long clashes threaten regional peace and stability, urging both governments to honour the June memorandum granting 60 days to negotiate a permanent accord. Negotiating teams had previously met in Switzerland under Pakistani and Qatari mediation before the breakdown.
The economic fallout deepened as the United States reimposed a blockade on Iranian ports while Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend, vowing to keep it shut until American strikes end. Tanker traffic through the strait has fallen sharply since the attacks.