Pakistan, China Urge US and Iran to Resume Peace Talks

Pakistan and China have called on the United States and Iran to immediately stop fighting and restart dialogue as renewed clashes threaten the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding aimed at ending the conflict.

The appeal came after Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Shanghai on the sidelines of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation (WAICO).

According to China’s Foreign Ministry, both leaders expressed concern over the worsening situation and urged all sides to immediately cease hostilities, remove obstacles, restart contacts, resume dialogue, and work towards a comprehensive peace agreement through negotiations.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi described the first-phase memorandum between the US and Iran as “hard-won” and praised Pakistan’s “indispensable” role in helping bring the two sides together. He said peace was within reach and urged all parties to honour their commitments.

Pakistan thanked China for its support and said it would continue working to promote peace talks.

The appeal came as the US and Iran exchanged fresh attacks on Friday. Iran accused the United States of striking civilian sites, including an airport, a railway station, and two bridges. Iran also said it launched drone attacks against US military allies and infrastructure in Kuwait in response.

Meanwhile, Pakistan and China also reviewed their growing partnership. The two countries reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the Pakistan-China All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership and advancing CPEC 2.0.

They agreed to expand cooperation in trade, investment, science and technology, the digital economy, and artificial intelligence.

During the visit, Pakistan officially joined the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation (WAICO) by signing its founding agreement.

In a post on X, Ishaq Dar described his visit to Shanghai as “productive” and said his talks with Wang Yi focused on strengthening bilateral ties, CPEC 2.0 projects, and cooperation in artificial intelligence. He also praised Chinese President Xi Jinping’s address at the opening ceremony of WAICO.