(Abdul Basit Alvi)
The United States–Iran conflict escalated into full-scale war on February 28, 2026, quickly becoming one of the most dangerous geopolitical crises of the century and drawing in Israel, Gulf monarchies, and other regional actors. It began with a massive coordinated US-Israeli assault—“Operation Epic Fury” and “Operation Roaring Lion”—targeting Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, military leadership, and command centers, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and striking over 1,250 targets within 48 hours. Rather than forcing Iran’s surrender, the attack triggered extensive retaliation, with Iran launching sustained missile and drone strikes against US bases across the Gulf, Israeli cities such as Tel Aviv and Haifa, and regional states hosting US forces including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, and Bahrain, using advanced missiles like Khoramshahr, Kheibar Shekan, and Qadr variants. The conflict widened further as Iran struck oil infrastructure and effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, causing global oil prices to surge by up to 35 percent, while the human toll rose into the thousands across Iran, Lebanon, Israel, US forces, and civilians throughout the region.
By the fourth week, Pakistan emerged as the central mediator under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, leveraging ties with both Washington and Tehran despite its own security and economic pressures, and conducting intensive diplomacy through direct contacts with US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, backchannel engagement with American officials, and coordination with regional powers like Turkiye and Egypt. Pakistan’s efforts gained recognition when Trump amplified Sharif’s call for dialogue and announced a five-day pause in certain strikes, while proposals covering sanctions relief, nuclear limits, monitoring, missile restrictions, and maritime access were conveyed to Iran through Pakistani channels; Iran’s civilian leadership engaged with this mediation despite hardline military rejection and no change in core positions, supported by longstanding trust, Pakistan’s role as Iran’s diplomatic intermediary in Washington since 1992, and Munir’s ties, with further goodwill signaled by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei. The United Nations, European Union, China, Russia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and global media acknowledged Pakistan’s role, the White House confirmed its involvement, and Islamabad was considered as a venue for talks, marking a sharp rise in its global standing as a confident and respected mediator led by Sharif and Munir, whose coordinated leadership earned widespread international appreciation and strong domestic pride across Pakistan as the country demonstrated its ability to act as a responsible and influential force for peace on the world stage.
As the war between the United States and Iran continues, with global markets held hostage by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, with the human toll climbing every day, and with the specter of further escalation always looming, the efforts of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir remain more critical than ever. The world looks to Pakistan not as a peripheral player but as a central actor in the search for peace, a country whose unique relationships, strategic position, and wise leadership make it the indispensable mediator in one of the most dangerous conflicts of our time. The appreciation that has come from President Trump, from the Iranian leadership, and from the entire international community is a testament to the effectiveness of Pakistan’s approach and the sincerity of its commitment to ending the war. The Pakistani Prime Minister and Field Marshal have shown that even in the darkest moments of conflict, when the machinery of war seems unstoppable and the momentum toward escalation appears inexorable, determined and principled diplomacy can make a difference. They have shown that Pakistan, a nation of over two hundred and forty million people with a rich history and a strategic location at the heart of Asia, can be not just a country that suffers from the conflicts of others but a country that helps to resolve them, a voice of reason, a force for peace, and a leader in the community of nations. Today, Pakistan stands in the spotlight, a strong country whose voice is sought after and valued, whose leaders are trusted by both sides of a bitter conflict, and whose emergence as a key mediator in the Iran-US war represents a defining moment in the nation’s history—a moment that will be remembered as the time when Pakistan, under the extraordinary leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, stepped forward to meet the greatest challenge of its generation and, in doing so, elevated its standing in the eyes of the world and the hearts of its people forever.
