Trump reposts PM Sharif’s message on his social media Iranian source says there has been US outreach and Tehran willing to listen Iran, Israel exchange strikes UAE serviceman killed in Iranian attack on Bahrain Qatar says working very closely with US to an end to Iran war Erdogan says Turkey exploring ways to bring an end to Iran war Saudi Arabia wants Iran’s missile capabilities degraded before war ends Israel bombs key Iranian explosives facility in Isfahan.
‘ISLAMABAD/WASHINGTON/DUBAI/TEL AVIV – Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday Pakistan is willing to host talks between the US and Iran on ending the war in the Gulf, a day after US President Donald Trump postponed threats to bomb Iranian power plants, saying there had been “productive” talks. US President Donald Trump reposted the Prime Minister Sharif’s message on his Truth Social platform.
In a post on X, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan welcomed and fully supported ongoing efforts to pursue dialogue to end the war.
“Subject to concurrence by the U.S. and Iran, Pakistan stands ready and honoured to be the host to facilitate meaningful and conclusive talks for a comprehensive settlement,” he said. A government source said discussions on a meeting were at an advanced stage and if it did happen, “a big ‘if’”, it would take place within a week.
The war is already taking a toll on major economies around the world, according to business surveys on Tuesday which showed how a surge in energy prices and rising uncertainty were dampening activity and pushing inflation expectations higher.
The statement by Pakistan’s prime minister came after the Tehran foreign ministry suggested on Monday that it had received messages from “some friendly countries indicating a US request for negotiations to end the war,” according to the official IRNA news agency.
PM Sharif said he had spoken with Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, promising his government’s help in bringing peace to the region. Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said he had been in touch with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi.
Iran is a long-standing ally of Pakistan, and Islamabad condemned the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. It also sent congratulations to his son and successor, Mojtaba.
Earlier on Monday, President Trump stated on Truth Social that the US and Iran had “over the last two days” very good and productive conversations regarding a complete and total resolution of hostilities in the Middle East.
While speaking at a roundtable in Memphis, US President Trump reiterated that he directed the Department of War to temporarily postpone planned strikes against major energy and electricity targets in Iran. At a press conference in Islamabad, Ambassador Jiang Zaidong of the People’s Republic of China commended Pakistan’s mediation role in the Middle East.
He said China supports resolving disputes through dialogue rather than force, and opposes unilateral actions and power politics in the Middle East. He said China opposes subordinating international law to domestic law, as the actions taking place in the Middle East are violating the UN Charter.
He also emphasized that non-military targets should not be attacked and the security of sea lanes should not be disrupted.
The ongoing US-Israel war on Iran has entered its fourth week, with the joint strikes resulting in the assassination of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Spokesman Ali Mohammad Naini, and Ali Larijani, a military officer and former speaker of the Iranian parliament.
An unnamed Iranian source concedes that there has been “outreach” between the White House and Tehran, CNN reported. The source adds that Iran is open to discussing “sustainable” frameworks to end the conflict. Top Iranian officials have publicly denied US President Donald Trump’s claims that the US and Iran have been talking about an end to the war in recent days.
“There has been outreach between the United States and Iran initiated by Washington in recent days,” the Iranian source tells CNN, “but nothing that has reached the level of full-on negotiations.”
“Iran is not asking for a meeting or direct talks with the United States but is willing to listen if a plan for a sustainable deal comes within reach that would preserve the national interests of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” says the source, adding that any deal must end all sanctions on Iran.
“Iran is ready to provide all the necessary guarantees that it will never develop nuclear weapons,” says the source, “but is entitled to peaceful use of nuclear technology.”
The source adds that messages have been sent through mediators “to scope out whether an agreement to end the war can be reached.”
“The proposals being looked at are aimed not merely at achieving a ceasefire, but a concrete agreement to end the conflict between the US and Iran,” says the source.
Turkish President Receip Tayyip Erdogan says Turkey will continue working with all its resources to establish peace in the Iran war, which he says has hit the Turkish economy and the whole world.
Erdogan says the government is considering various measures to protect the economy from the US-Israeli war on Iran, which has engulfed the region and sent energy prices soaring.
Saudi Arabia wants an end to the Iran war with Tehran’s cruise and ballistic missile capabilities degraded “as much as possible,” a regional official familiar with the Saudi position told CNN.
Riyadh however does not want Iran’s civilian infrastructure harmed, the official added.
“(We) can’t have an aggressive neighbor but also can’t have a population in Iran that is destitute,” the official said. “At the end of the day, we are neighbors and want a peaceful neighborhood.”
Qatar is working “very closely” with the US to bring about an end to the war with Iran, according to Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Mohammed Al-Ansari.
A civilian contractor working for the United Arab Emirates armed forces has been killed in Bahrain, the UAE’s ministry of defence says.
In a statement, it says the serviceman, a Moroccan national, was killed “following an Iranian missile attack” that targeted Bahrain.
The ministry of defence says the attack also resulted in five injuries to members of the UAE military.
Meanwhile, The Israeli Air Force bombed Iran’s “main” explosives production facility, located in the Isfahan area, on early Tuesday, the military said.
According to the IDF, the site was targeted as part of a wave of strikes in Isfahan against Iran’s “production industries.”
The factory was used to manufacture explosives for various weapons, the military says, noting that it had been targeted by Israel during the June 2025 war, and in recent months, Iran worked to restore the facility. Dozens more Iranian targets were struck today by IAF jets that dropped over 120 bombs, the IDF says, adding that they included ballistic missile launch sites, weapon production facilities and air defense systems.
