The United States continues to rely on Pakistan for mediation in its conflict with Iran, despite categorizing Pakistan as high risk along with other conflict-ridden countries like Afghanistan, Somalia, and Yemen. Iran, however, views Pakistan’s role as compromised due to its perceived alignment with the US and Saudi Arabia. Iranian officials and state media have accused Pakistan of bias and procedural failures that have eroded trust. Pakistani mediators have been criticized for allegedly favoring American interests over neutrality, leading to doubts about Pakistan’s credibility in the mediation process.
Iranian MP Ebrahim Rezaei has stated that Pakistan is not a suitable mediator as it tends to prioritize US interests and fails to challenge American actions. Reports suggest that Pakistani mediators have struggled to accurately represent Iranian positions and have prioritized American terms during negotiations on issues like nuclear restrictions and regional de-escalation. This has triggered public debates in Iran, questioning Pakistan’s reliability and deepening the existing trust deficit. Concerns have been raised about Islamabad’s credibility, with independent reports portraying Pakistan as an ambitious yet limited mediator whose actions have undermined its influence and sabotaged the mediation efforts.
