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Pakistan’s U.S. ambassador warned Monday on “Special Report” that Iran is too “war-torn” to respond quickly in negotiations as President Donald Trump extends his strike deadline, while Islamabad pushes to facilitate talks aimed at ending U.S.-Iran hostilities.
Amb. Rizwan Saeed Sheikh, cast Pakistan as an active facilitator in de-escalation talks, but warned that the process is complicated by Tehran’s diminished ability to communicate amid the chaos of war and damaged infrastructure.
Rescue workers search for bodies in the rubble of a residential building following an airstrike Friday in Tehran. (Majid Saeedi / Getty Images)
“Iran is a war-torn country with the communication channels certainly disrupted, and it is not even easy to get responses in a good time from the system that currently is in place there,” Sheikh said.
While he said “diplomacy is a gradual process,” he also expressed hope that peace talks would soon proceed for the good of the region. He pointed to Iran’s willingness to allow some oil tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz as evidence that confidence was being built in the possibility of negotiations.
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Trump also delayed his 48-hour deadline for Iran to clear the Strait of Hormuz, which was set to expire Monday evening, and ordered the Department of War to pause attacks on Iranian power infrastructure amid negotiations with Tehran. He said the U.S. has had “very good” talks that could lead to a “complete” end of hostilities.
A man displays a goldfish in its bowl that was retrieved from an apartment damaged by an airstrike Monday in the west of Tehran. (Majid Saeedi / Getty Images)
Sheikh said a ceasefire is a good start to any negotiation process, “but it is, of course, upon the conflicting parties to reach an understanding there and indicate something good on that scope.”
Pakistan faces its own hostilities with neighboring India and Afghanistan, and has a strong alliance with Saudi Arabia. But as the war grinds on and Islamabad tries to maintain relations with its regional neighbors as well as the U.S., China and Iran, analysts warn the nation’s room for neutrality is shrinking.
Still, Pakistan has effectively positioned itself at the forefront of mediation efforts to end the ongoing conflict, leveraging its ties with these global powerhouses. The country has previously denounced the strikes on Iran, but also recently backed a Gulf-led resolution against Iran at the United Nations, condemning regional aggression.
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Sheikh expressed gratitude for the confidence placed in Pakistan and said his country was ready and willing to help end hostilities.
“Our prime minister has been talking, working up phones with the global leadership. So, we are trying to create the conducive setting for this dialog to take place.”
Fox News Digital’s Kyra Colah, Anders Hagstrom, Emma Bussey and Landon Mion contributed to this report.
