Pakistan Hosts Saudi, Turkish and Egyptian Officials for Iran War Talks

Four flags outside Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad marked the arrival of Saudi, Turkish and Egyptian diplomats for emergency talks on the Iran war while Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf was telling supporters his forces would "set on fire" any American soldiers who reached Iranian soil.

Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar hosted the gathering, which included Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty. Pakistan's foreign ministry described the agenda as "in-depth discussions" on regional tensions over two days, with the visiting ministers also set to meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The talks opened as roughly 2,500 U.S. Marines arrived in the region, Iranian-backed Houthi rebels formally entered the monthlong conflict and the death toll crossed 3,000.

Pakistan has positioned itself as the primary intermediary between Washington and Tehran. Sharif spoke by phone with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian for more than an hour on Saturday, condemning "continued Israeli attacks on Iran, including recent strikes on civilian infrastructure," in a statement that made no direct reference to the United States. Pakistan's two senior civilian leaders have spoken with at least 20 world leaders over the past week, while Army chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir directed his efforts specifically toward President Trump.

Tehran offered Islamabad a visible signal of trust by allowing 20 additional Pakistani-flagged ships through the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway whose restriction has shaken oil markets, sparked fertilizer shortages and disrupted air travel worldwide. A Pakistani official identified only as Durrani said the decision "reflects its trust in Pakistan and confidence in its mediatory role" and that Iran "remains open for business with the world, provided the United States abandons coercion." Meaningful progress, Durrani added, would require Washington to demonstrate "sincerity" in the negotiations Pakistan is facilitating.

Sharif pledged in a separate bilateral meeting with Prince Faisal bin Farhan that Pakistan would "always stand shoulder to shoulder" with Saudi Arabia, praising the kingdom's "remarkable restraint" during the crisis. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty met Ishaq Dar separately ahead of the main session, with both sides citing the goal of bringing the United States and Iran back to a negotiating table.

Ghalibaf, whose name is also transliterated as Qalibaf, framed the conflict's 30th day in defiant terms. "The street in these 30 nights was the manifestation and mirror of the social power of a nation that does not know defeat," he said, warning Washington against what he called surrender terms disguised as diplomacy. He told supporters directly: "With the chant 'no compromise, no surrender, fight against America,' you gave strength to the missiles." Iranian forces, he added, were "waiting for the arrival of American troops on the ground to set them on fire and punish their regional partners forever."

The diplomacy unfolded against continuing strikes. Israel said it had completed a new wave of attacks on Iran targeting sites in Tehran, while Iran claimed to have struck an American E-3 Sentry surveillance aircraft. Aluminium Bahrain, known as Alba and one of the world's largest aluminium producers, reported two employees wounded in an Iranian strike on its facility; the company said both suffered minor injuries.

Vice President JD Vance said Saturday that "we are going to be out of Iran soon," even as Pakistan's mediators sought to keep both sides engaged. The durability of Islamabad's role now hinges on whether Washington offers the concrete signals its negotiators are publicly demanding.