Iran's Pezeshkian tells Pakistan PM Sharif 'trust needed' for peace talks — praises mediation

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian held a phone call lasting over an hour with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. According to a statement from Sharif's office, Pezeshkian acknowledged the need for trust as a prerequisite for peace talks and mediation, and praised Pakistan's diplomatic efforts in seeking to end the conflict. Sharif briefed Pezeshkian on Pakistan's diplomatic contacts with the United States and Gulf states. The call comes hours before Pakistan announced it would host a quadrilateral meeting with Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Turkey on Monday. The Pezeshkian-Sharif call is significant: it suggests Iran is willing to engage with Pakistan's mediation architecture and views the quadrilateral as a potential pathway. Iran's framing of 'trust needed' implies Tehran has conditions for substantive engagement — likely related to halting strikes — but the public acknowledgment of Pakistan's efforts signals Iran is not fully closed to the diplomatic track. This is the clearest public signal of Iranian diplomatic engagement since the conflict began.