ISLAMABAD: United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres hopes the United States and Iran will return to a Pakistan-brokered framework aimed at ending their conflict, his spokesperson said on Friday, praising Islamabad’s mediation efforts.
UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said Guterres had expressed support for Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts and hoped renewed discussions between Washington and Tehran would produce results.
“I think it’s important to go back to that period,” Dujarric told reporters at a briefing in New York, referring to the period of calm created by the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
“We understand, we’ve seen reports of various discussions going on, and we hope that they will bear fruit,” he said.
The Islamabad MoU was signed in June after Pakistan helped mediate between the United States and Iran. The framework established mechanisms for discussions on Iran’s nuclear programme, sanctions and regional security, while also seeking to facilitate safe commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
The agreement has since faced implementation challenges as hostilities between the two sides resumed. Pakistan has continued to call for a return to dialogue and has maintained that the MoU remains a framework for resolving outstanding issues.
The Strait of Hormuz remains a central issue in the conflict because of its importance to global energy supplies. Shipping traffic through the waterway has fallen sharply amid the continuing tensions, although some oil shipments have continued.
Iran has recently signalled that it could reopen the Strait within a week if the United States eases military pressure and lifts its blockade on Iranian ports. Iranian officials have also indicated that Tehran is prepared to pursue diplomacy during the UN General Assembly in New York.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran had conveyed a proposal through mediators for reopening the waterway and restoring normal maritime traffic if the necessary conditions were met.
The latest diplomatic activity comes as the conflict approaches its seventh month, with the UN General Assembly providing an opportunity for renewed contacts between the two sides.
Also Read: Tehran ‘Cannot Be Made to Surrender’: Iran President Tells UN
Pakistan has continued to advocate dialogue and diplomacy as the route toward ending the conflict. Islamabad has also remained engaged with regional partners, including Qatar, in efforts to facilitate negotiations and reduce tensions.
The UN’s renewed support for the mediation track comes as Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in New York on Thursday and stressed the importance of implementing the Islamabad MoU. Pezeshkian told Sharif that the agreement remained acceptable to Tehran and that Iran was ready to take it forward, according to Pakistani officials.
