Pakistan's top diplomat Ishaq Dar spoke to his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi as part of Islamabad's ongoing efforts to revive direct talks between the US and Iran to bring a negotiated settlement to the lingering Middle East conflict, an official statement said Monday.
The phone call between the two focused on "the regional situation and Pakistan's ongoing diplomatic efforts for peace and stability in the region," Islamabad's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Araghchi, in return, praised Pakistan for its "constructive" role and "sincere" mediation efforts between the two parties.
Dar reaffirmed Pakistan's continued commitment to promoting constructive engagement and underscored that dialogue and diplomacy remain the only viable path toward peaceful resolution of issues and achieving lasting peace and stability in the region and beyond, the statement added.
The latest contact comes hours after Iran's Foreign Ministry said that Tehran is reviewing a US response to its revised 14-point proposal to end the war.
Iran said the nuclear issue was not part of its latest proposal, which suggested that the thorny issue be discussed in a second phase of talks after reaching a permanent ceasefire between the two sides.
Pakistani sources familiar with the mediation told Anadolu that the US, in its response delivered to Iran through Islamabad, attached an agreement on Iran's nuclear program with a permanent ceasefire.
Iran's revised proposal had suggested transforming the ceasefire into a permanent end to war and defer the nuclear issue to a later stage, according to sources.
Pakistan hosted the first round of negotiations between Washington and Tehran on April 11-12 but failed to produce an agreement to end the war.
The talks followed a two-week ceasefire brokered by Pakistan on April 8, which was later extended by US President Donald Trump.
