Dar tells Araghchi sincere implementation of Islamabad MoU is the only way forward

Pakistan is pressing Iran to carry out the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding as fighting and sporadic attacks continue to cloud prospects for lasting peace in the Middle East.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar made the case during a meeting Tuesday with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Pakistan’s Foreign Office described the encounter as a “warm exchange” and said the ministers discussed bilateral relations and regional developments.

Dar said dialogue and diplomacy remained essential to regional peace and stability. He stressed that sincere implementation by both parties of the Islamabad MoU, signed in June 2026, was “the only way forward.” The agreement established a framework for ending the war that began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28.

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Sincere implementation by both parties to the conflict of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding of June 2026 remains the only way forward.

Pakistan helped mediate the agreement and brokered a US-Iran ceasefire in April. The ceasefire halted the most intense fighting, but attacks have continued intermittently, particularly around the Strait of Hormuz.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who is attending the two-day SCO meeting, also met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Bishkek a day earlier. Pezeshkian praised Pakistan’s “consistent diplomatic efforts for regional peace and security,” according to the Prime Minister’s Office. Sharif is due to address the summit, where leaders from China, Iran, Türkiye, Russia and India are gathered. Pakistan is set to assume the bloc’s chairmanship during the visit.

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Consistent diplomatic efforts for regional peace and security