Pakistan hosts regional powers for Iran talks with focus on Hormuz proposals: sources

[ISLAMABAD/ISTANBUL] Pakistan hosted talks with Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia on Sunday (Mar 29) as part of its efforts to broker an end to the Iran war, with initial discussions focused on proposals to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping, sources familiar with the matter said.

Foreign ministers from the three regional powers landed in Islamabad for the talks as Iran warned the US against launching a ground attack and global oil prices surged amid continued fighting between Iran, the US and Israel.

The countries meeting in Pakistan have floated proposals to Washington tied to maritime traffic and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, five sources familiar with the matter told Reuters, as part of wider efforts to stabilise shipping flows.

The Strait of Hormuz was previously a conduit for about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies, but Iran has effectively halted shipping flows through it in response to the US and Israeli air strikes that began a month ago.

Proposals on reopening Hormuz

Pakistan, which like Turkey borders Iran, has leveraged its close ties to both Teheran and Washington to emerge as a key diplomatic channel in the conflict, while Ankara and Cairo have also played a role.

A source from Pakistan said that proposals, including those from Egypt, had been forwarded to the White House by the countries before Sunday’s meeting and that they included Suez Canal-style fee structures.

Two other Pakistani sources said Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia could form a consortium to manage oil flows through the waterway, and had asked Pakistan to participate.

The proposal for a management consortium had been discussed with the US and Iran, the sources said.

The first Pakistani source said the country’s army chief Asim Munir had been in regular contact with US Vice-President JD Vance.

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Egypt’s and Pakistan’s foreign ministries did not respond to a request for comment.

The Saudi government media office and the White House did not immediately reply to a comment request.

A Turkish diplomatic source said Ankara’s priority was securing a ceasefire.

“Ensuring the safe passage of ships could serve as an important confidence-building measure in this regard,” the person said, requesting anonymity.

Earlier on Sunday, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar had held separate one-on-one meetings with his Turkish and Egyptian counterparts.

He stressed on dialogue and sustained diplomatic engagement, the foreign office said.

Separately, Dar said in a post on X that Iran had agreed to allow 20 more Pakistani-flagged ships through the Strait of Hormuz. REUTERS