Pakistan vows to 'strive for dialogue' despite latest US-Iranian escalation

Pakistan on Wednesday vowed to "strive for dialogue" between the US and Iran to end their months-long war despite the latest escalations.

"Despite recent escalations, we remain hopeful and continue to strive for dialogue and diplomacy," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi told reporters in Islamabad.

The statement came after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Wednesday it carried out simultaneous attacks on US bases in Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Iraq in retaliation for a US strike on a house in Sirik in southern Iran a day earlier. Iran claimed the US strike killed four people, including a child.

In Wednesday's strike on Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, the IRGC claimed US personnel were killed and drones were destroyed.

Pakistan has remained the main mediator between Iran and the US throughout the war that began on Feb. 28, and has maintained close contact with both sides.

Citing the recent visits to Tehran by Pakistan's army chief Field Marshall Asim Munir and the foreign ministers of Qatar and Oman, Andrabi said they were part of Pakistan's diplomatic efforts to facilitate an end to the US-Iran conflict, particularly focusing on renewed efforts for reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

"We underscored that the understanding reached between the US and Iran under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding offers the most viable pathway toward lasting peace and stability in the region," he added.