As Pakistan continues its efforts for a peace deal between Iran and the United States (US), an Iranian MP has said that Islamabad is not a "suitable intermediary" for negotiations and it lacks the "necessary credibility" for mediation. Although the legislator said Pakistan remains a "good friend and neighbour" of Iran, it has taken Trump's interests into account and has not said anything against the Americans.
The remarks were made by Ebrahim Rezaei, who represents Dashtestan and continues to be a spokesperson of the country's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, on micro-blogging site X (formerly Twitter).
"They are unwilling to tell the world that America first accepted Pakistan's proposal but then went back on its word," Rezaei said. "They do not say that the Americans had commitments regarding the issue of Lebanon or the blocked assets but failed to fulfill them. A mediator must be impartial, not always leaning to one side."
Pakistan, a friend of no one?
Rezaei's remarks came after Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi visited Pakistan but left without waiting for the US delegation's arrival in Islamabad for the peace talks; although he met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Deputy PM Ishaq Dar and Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir during his short visit.
Pakistan has been pressing for talks between the two sides, with US President Donald Trump even lauding Islamabad for its efforts. However, many analysts point out that it is a part of Pakistan wider strategy to ensure that it does not get dragged into the conflict due to its defence agreement with Saudi Arabia.
Here it must be noted that Iran has even hit Saudi Arabia after the conflict started on February 28, and the defence agreement between Islamabad and Riyadh are somewhat on the lines of the NATO which states that an attack on one is an attack on the other well.
Interestingly, a report by Fox News Digital has also warned that Munir is a "red flag" for the Trump administration and is working closely with Iran's the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). "Trump should not trust the Pakistanis. Pakistan was a perfidious ‘ally’ in Afghanistan, backing the Taliban while pretending to be our friends," the report stated.
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