Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar warned on Tuesday of the danger of prolonging the conflict in the Middle East, considering that the continuation of the crisis does not serve any party, in the wake of US forces targeting boats in southern Iran, and the accompanying growing concerns about the path of calm and global energy security.
Dar said, in press statements, that Pakistan has made “real diplomatic efforts to facilitate lasting solutions to the current crisis,” stressing that mediation efforts are continuing, and that his country urges all parties to exercise restraint.
He added, “The world is watching the end of the crisis in the Middle East and we must succeed,” warning that the crisis threatens energy supply chains, and therefore “it must end.”
These statements come after the Iranian Revolutionary Guard announced that its air defenses responded to American military activity, warning against any violation of the ceasefire by the United States, and affirming Iran’s right to respond.
The Revolutionary Guard indicated that it fired at an American RQ-4 drone and an F-35 fighter, and also spotted an American MQ-9 drone, in a development that reflects the fragility of the existing truce between the two parties.
Yesterday, Monday, the US Army announced that it had carried out attacks in southern Iran that targeted missile sites. It also attacked boats near the Strait of Hormuz, which it said were working to plant mines in this strategic waterway.
Despite the recent US strikes in the Hormozgan Governorate in southern Iran, negotiations continued between the United States and Iran, an indication that both parties are adhering to the path of calm and that ongoing contacts are not collapsing, according to what was reported by the Wall Street Journal.
Iranian Parliament Speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf remained in Doha for a second day, to complete talks on the plan to end the war, amid mediation efforts led by Qatar and other Arab countries.
These negotiations come in light of increasing regional and international pressure to prevent the collapse of the truce, and to avoid the crisis turning into a broader confrontation that may threaten global energy markets and increase disruption to shipping traffic.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the most important elements of negotiation, as about 20% of global oil trade passes through it, while its partial closure over the past weeks has sparked severe unrest in the oil markets and maritime shipping.
Pakistan’s positions are gaining special importance at this time, as it is trying to play a diplomatic role between the parties to the crisis, in light of its complex regional relations and its sensitivity towards any large-scale explosion in the Gulf. Islamabad realizes that the continued escalation does not threaten Iran and the United States alone, but also affects the economies of many Asian countries that depend on stable energy supplies.
Pakistani talk about supply chains also reflects international concern about the crisis moving from its military and political framework to the global economy. Any prolonged disturbance in the Strait of Hormuz means a rise in oil prices, pressure on maritime shipping, and direct repercussions on the markets, at a time when negotiations are still searching for a formula that will save the face of the parties and prevent sliding into a broader war.
Between the American strikes, Iranian warnings, and mediation efforts in Doha, it seems that the path of calm is still in place, but it is moving on very fragile ground, where any field error or new targeting could reshuffle the cards and put the region before a more serious test.
