Pakistan’s foreign ministry on Thursday called on the United States and Iran to halt military operations and resume technical-level negotiations under the Islamabad-mediated memorandum of understanding signed in June. Spokesman Tahir Andrabi told reporters that despite “challenges” in implementing the accord, Pakistan would continue to encourage all sides to end violence and return to the negotiating table. The statement, carried by state and regional media, framed the MoU as an “enduring framework for promoting peace, mutual respect and shared prosperity” and expressed hope for an early normalisation of the situation in the Strait of Hormuz.

According to the terms of the MoU, which was signed on 17 June by the Pakistani prime minister alongside the Iranian and US presidents, the two adversaries were to hold 60 days of technical talks aimed at a final agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme and an end to the war. That window, by US media calculations, expires on 17 August. Pakistani officials note that the military chief of staff, Marshal Asim Munir, was directly involved in the diplomatic effort that produced the deal, and Islamabad says it remains “actively engaged with key parties to support de-escalation efforts and dialogue.”

Viewed from Washington, the resumption of airstrikes this week — which President Donald Trump has described as the end of the truce — has not halted expert-level discussions on the nuclear file, according to the US permanent representative to the UN. From Tehran’s perspective, however, Washington is not honouring the agreement and is conducting what Iranian state-linked outlets characterise as “aggressive attacks,” to which Iran has responded with strikes on US interests in the Gulf. The six-day cycle of strikes and retaliation has centred on the Strait of Hormuz, the conduit for roughly a fifth of global oil consumption, which Iran insists it controls and has officially closed in response to what it terms violations of its sovereignty.

The military escalation has sent global oil prices sharply higher and triggered inflation concerns in economies far from the conflict zone. Pakistan’s foreign ministry explicitly recognised the “urgent need to address the impact of the current situation on global energy supplies and other economic commodities including trade and food security.” Regional mediators, including Qatar and Oman, are also involved in efforts to prevent a wider conflagration, with Iranian diplomatic sources confirming that back-channel contacts continue.

With the 60-day technical track formally still alive but under severe strain, the dossier now hinges on whether the parties can de-escalate sufficiently to return to the table before the August deadline. Pakistan’s intervention signals that the MoU, however battered, remains the only internationally recognised framework for a negotiated exit, even as military logic continues to dictate events on the ground.