PM Shehbaz Plans Iran, Turkiye Visits to Push Middle East Peace
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is expected to travel to Iran and Turkiye from July 3 to July 6 as Pakistan steps up diplomatic efforts to prevent renewed escalation in the Middle East, according to sources in the Prime Minister’s Office cited by Dawn. The planned visits come at a sensitive moment after fresh military exchanges involving the United States and Iran tested a Pakistan-backed peace process.
The proposed trip places Islamabad at the centre of a fast-moving regional diplomatic track. During the visits, the prime minister is expected to meet the leadership of both countries and urge restraint from Tehran and Washington, especially after the signing of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding that was designed to keep the door open for de-escalation.
The latest diplomatic push follows renewed tension in the Gulf after the US military said it carried out strikes on multiple targets in Iran early Sunday. Washington linked the action to an Iranian attack on a ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy shipping corridors.
Iran responded by launching strikes against US bases in Bahrain and Kuwait before both sides later agreed to halt attacks. The exchange showed how fragile the emerging ceasefire framework remains and why Pakistan is seeking to reinforce the understanding before another round of retaliation destabilises the region.
Sources said Shehbaz Sharif’s meetings in Tehran and Ankara will focus on reducing tensions, preserving the Islamabad MoU and encouraging a political settlement. Pakistan’s message is expected to stress that continued hostilities could endanger maritime traffic, energy markets and the security of countries across the Gulf and South Asia.
The regional debate has also shifted toward a broader security framework. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has called for a new arrangement involving regional countries without outside interference, echoing an idea advanced by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian during his recent visit to Pakistan.
During that visit, Pezeshkian thanked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir for Pakistan’s efforts to help end the conflict. Those remarks highlighted Islamabad’s desire to act not only as a neighbouring stakeholder but also as a diplomatic facilitator between competing regional and global interests.
Pakistan’s involvement carries practical importance for the country’s own economy and security. A prolonged conflict in the Gulf can affect oil prices, shipping costs, remittances, overseas workers and investor confidence, while instability around the Strait of Hormuz has direct consequences for energy-importing states like Pakistan.
The background to the crisis is a wider war launched by the United States and Israel earlier this year, which disrupted Gulf shipping and unsettled global markets. Pakistan has since tried to promote restraint through diplomatic contacts, positioning the Islamabad MoU as a foundation for a temporary pause that could be expanded into a more durable settlement.
The next phase will depend on whether Shehbaz Sharif’s planned engagements in Iran and Turkiye can strengthen regional coordination and keep the ceasefire from collapsing. Islamabad is likely to continue back-channel consultations with friendly capitals as it tries to convert a fragile halt in fighting into a structured peace process.