Foreign ministers from 4 countries met in Islamabad; Iranian government accuses Trump administration of planning ground offensive
Foreign ministers from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Türkiye met this Sunday (29 March 2026) in Islamabad, the Pakistani capital, to discuss the war in the Middle East. The local government acts as a mediator between the US and Iran. The meeting analyzed regional developments and issues of common interest, according to an official statement.
Foreign Ministers Badr Abdellatty (Egypt), Hakan Fidan (Türkiye) and Faisal bin Farhan (Saudi Arabia) participated. They had bilateral meetings with Pakistan’s chief diplomat, Ishaq Dar. The US, Iran and Israel did not send representatives.
Pakistan has established itself as an intermediary in the exchange of messages between Washington and Tehran. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif maintains a close relationship with the President of the United States (Republican Party) and has close contacts with the Iranian government.
On Saturday (28 March 2026), Sharif spoke by telephone with the President of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian, who thanked him for his efforts to stop the attacks in the region. After the conversation, Minister Ishaq Dar announced that Iran authorized the passage of 20 more Pakistani vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.
DIPLOMATIC TENSION
Tehran sent a response to Trump’s 15-point plan to end the war through the Pakistani government, according to the agency Tasnim.
Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf accused Washington of planning a ground invasion.
“Publicly, the enemy sends negotiation messages and, in secret, plans an offensive”Qalibaf said in a statement released by the agency Irna.
He cited the deployment of 5,000 U.S. Marines to the Persian Gulf in the past two weeks. Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaghari said Trump talks about dialogue, but “decides to go to war” hours later.
