IQN (NewsDesk): Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in an interview with Al Jazeera that Qatar and Pakistan are currently serving as intermediaries relaying messages between Tehran and Washington, offering a rare public acknowledgment of the back channel diplomacy underway amid the ongoing standoff between Iran, the United States and Israel.
The disclosure comes at a moment of heightened tension following Iran’s proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days as part of a broader roadmap to end hostilities, an offer that President Trump publicly rejected shortly after it emerged. Pezeshkian’s comments suggest that despite the public exchange of hostile rhetoric between Washington and Tehran, indirect diplomatic contact is continuing through regional partners with long standing ties to both sides.
Qatar has previously played a mediating role in several Middle Eastern conflicts given its close relationships with both Washington and various regional actors, while Pakistan’s involvement reflects its own historical ties to Tehran as well as its interest in regional stability given its shared border with Iran.
Analysts said the use of intermediaries points to both sides seeking to keep diplomatic options open even as military and political tensions remain elevated, with the ultimate success of any roadmap likely to depend on whether the two governments can move past the current impasse over the terms of a ceasefire and the future of Iran’s nuclear program.
