Pakistan becomes proposed venue for US-Iran peace summit as early as Thursday — PM Sharif backed by US, Egypt, Turkey

Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesperson made an official on-record statement to CNN confirming that 'Islamabad is already ready to host talks' involving Iran and the United States. The statement came hours after Tehran publicly rebuffed claims that the US and Iran had opened a diplomatic channel over the past weekend. The Foreign Office declaration transforms Pakistan's role from anonymous back-channel facilitator to publicly declared host — a meaningful diplomatic signal. Pakistan's positioning aligns with President Pezeshkian's phone call with PM Sharif on Monday and the Reuters report citing a Pakistani official and a European official that direct talks could be held in Islamabad as soon as this week. CBS News separately reported that 'Pakistani officials are attempting to position themselves as brokers between the US and Iran, according to two senior sources in Islamabad with direct knowledge of the situation.' Pakistan's public declaration of readiness increases political pressure on both Iran and the US to send envoys to Islamabad during the five-day Trump pause window.