Iran conflict tests Pakistan amid own border clashes as Islamabad touted as venue for US-Tehran talks

Pakistan is stepping a tightrope arsenic nan Iran warfare intensifies, pinch that equilibrium increasing much precarious pinch each passing day.

Islamabad has truthful acold pursued cautious diplomacy, condemning nan strikes connected Iran, while simultaneously urging de-escalation. But analysts pass it cannot stay insulated from competing pressures.

"Pakistan is putting itself guardant arsenic a mediator betwixt nan U.S. and Iran, but unconvincingly," Edmund Fitton-Brown, a elder chap astatine nan Foundation for Defense of Democracies told Fox News Digital. "Its ain grounds of staying retired of subject entanglements is unimpressive."

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At nan forefront of nan tensions is simply a caller defense agreement with Saudi Arabia, which states that aggression against 1 will beryllium treated arsenic a threat to both. Widely seen arsenic 1 of Pakistan's astir consequential defense agreements, it commits nan state to Riyadh, while risking confrontation pinch Iran.

Shia Muslims holding portraits of Iran's slain ultimate leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei return portion successful an anti US-Israel protestation successful Islamabad connected March 6, 2026.  (Aamir Qureshi/ AFP via Getty Images)

Pakistan, nan only nuclear-armed Muslim state, already has troops stationed successful Saudi Arabia for training and defense support and has said location is "no question" of coming to nan kingdom's aid.

"Remember, Pakistan is geographically portion of some South Asia and Central Asia, arsenic good arsenic nan wider Gulf/MENA region too. Pakistan has ever pursued peace, speech and bid because we cognize what warfare does to our region," Mosharraf Zaidi, spokesperson for overseas media to nan Pakistani premier minister, told Fox News Digital.

Within days of nan war's outbreak, nan country's service chief, General Asim Munir, made an "emergency" sojourn to Saudi Arabia, wherever apical officials discussed associated responses to Iranian strikes. It was nan first existent trial of nan pact.

Relations are beardown betwixt nan 2 nations, and Riyadh remains a cardinal economical lifeline for Islamabad. Saudi Arabia has already been making arrangements to support power supplies, arsenic war-driven substance disruptions deed import-dependent Pakistan.

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Yet Pakistan’s narration pinch Iran is arsenic critical. 

The 2 stock a 565-mile separator on pinch heavy waste and acquisition ties and important belief connections. 

Pakistan is location to nan world’s second-largest Shiite organization aft Iran. Pro-Iran authorities protests successful nan aftermath of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s assassination turned deadly, forcing subject involution and curfews.

Maintaining ties pinch Tehran is important for containing home tensions and staving disconnected an insurgency from nan number Baloch organization there.

Iran is besides an important economical partner to Pakistan, which has been facing a terrible economical crisis. The 2 behaviour important trade, pinch a caller extremity of $10 cardinal by 2028.

Pakistan’s overseas curate has held "constant conversations" pinch his Iranian counterpart passim nan conflict. And past week, a Pakistani lipid tanker transited nan fundamentally blockaded Strait of Hormuz. Analysts noted it was nan first non-Iranian cargo vessel to do truthful since tensions escalated, suggesting that safe transition whitethorn person been negotiated. Officials adhd that much Pakistan-bound lipid tankers are apt to transverse nan strait successful nan coming days.

A screenshot of a marine postulation terminal showing vessels successful nan Strait of Hormuz connected March 4, 2026. (Kpler/Marine Traffic)

Most of Pakistan’s crude and LNG imports walk done nan Strait of Hormuz. But arsenic nan warfare grinds on, analysts pass Pakistan’s room for neutrality is shrinking. 

Pakistan precocious went against Iran, backing a Gulf-led solution astatine nan United Nations condemning location aggression. Russia and China abstained.

Meanwhile, Iran's overseas curate conscionable called for location coordination successful abstracted ​calls pinch Pakistan, Turkey and Egypt.

Shia Muslims holding portraits of Iran's slain ultimate leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei return portion successful an anti US-Israel protestation successful Islamabad connected March 6, 2026.  (Aamir Qureshi/ AFP via Getty Images)

At nan aforesaid time, Islamabad must besides navigate relations pinch Washington, yet different cardinal partner.

Under President Donald Trump’s 2nd term, Pakistan has sought person relations pinch nan U.S., moreover floating his sanction for nan Nobel Peace Prize.

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Questions are besides emerging successful Washington. During a White House briefing, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said nan management was coordinating pinch nan Pentagon to measure whether Pakistan is supporting Iran, while describing India arsenic a "good actor."

India’s positioning has added further pressure, pinch Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s caller sojourn to Israel.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets pinch Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu successful New Delhi, India connected February 25, 2026. (Photo by Press Information Bureau (PIB)/Anadolu via Getty Images)

"There is nary contradiction successful being perfectly committed to peace, speech and order. The beardown relationships Pakistan has pinch nan United States, pinch Saudi Arabia, pinch Iran and pinch China are a testament to Pakistan’s commitment," nan Pakistani premier minister's spokesperson, Zaidi said.

So far, Pakistan has efficaciously positioned itself astatine nan forefront of mediation efforts to extremity nan ongoing conflict, leveraging its ties pinch each 3 powerhouses.

Reports bespeak that high-level talks betwixt nan U.S. and Iran are group for Islamabad arsenic early arsenic this weekend.

"Pakistan wants to matter to nan U.S. and to beryllium a amended partner than India. Because nan Afghan Taliban person alienated Islamabad since 2021, location are fewer remaining sore points betwixt nan U.S. and Pakistan, pinch nan second capable to coming arsenic an state against terrorism," Fitton-Brown said. "And astir location parties want to spot nan situation extremity sooner alternatively than later. But cipher wants to spot nan Islamic Republic strengthened successful Iran."

The spiraling warfare comes astatine a captious clip for Pakistan's already stretched military. Tensions pinch India stay elevated, while separator clashes, airstrikes, drone attacks and rising civilian casualties person go nan norm pinch erstwhile friends neighbor Afghanistan.

The nations nosedived into an "all-out war," conscionable days earlier nan Iran conflict collapsed out, and nan unit shows nary signs of easing after fresh Pakistani strikes precocious deed the Afghan capital metropolis of Kabul.

Afghan Taliban fighters patrol adjacent nan Afghanistan-Pakistan separator successful Spin Boldak, Kandahar Province, pursuing exchanges of occurrence betwixt Pakistani and Afghan forces. (REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo)

"This surface science and nan region’s history is why Pakistan steadfastly rejects India’s efforts astatine location hegemony, it is why Pakistan is pursuing a termination of nan Afghan Taliban regime’s support for violent groups," Zaidi said. "We activity a complete cessation of coercion emanating from territory presently controlled by nan Afghan Taliban."

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With Pakistan already managing tensions connected some its eastbound separator pinch India and its occidental frontier pinch Afghanistan, a destabilized Iran could push that strain further.

"If Islamabad is destabilized, it will beryllium highly bad news regionally and globally," Edmund Fitton-Brown told Fox. "The thought of a atomic powerfulness nether jihadi norm doesn’t carnivore reasoning about."