Islamabad/Lahore, March 24 Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday that Islamabad was "ready and honored" to facilitate "meaningful and conclusive talks" between the US and Iran to end the ongoing conflict.
The announcement came following media reports about behind-the-scenes efforts by Pakistan, along with Egypt and Turkey, to broker peace in West Asia.
"Pakistan welcomes and fully supports ongoing efforts to pursue dialogue to end the war in the Middle East, in the interest of peace and stability in the region and beyond," Sharif said in a post on X.
"Subject to agreement by the US and Iran, Pakistan stands ready and honored to host talks to facilitate meaningful and conclusive discussions for a comprehensive resolution of the ongoing conflict," he added.
Earlier, the Foreign Office (FO) responded to media queries, urging them to avoid speculation and await official announcements about the venue for talks between the US and Iranian representatives.
"Pakistan, consistent with its longstanding policy, remains committed to resolving the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf through diplomatic means and engagement," FO spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said.
"Diplomacy and negotiations often require that certain matters be handled discreetly. Therefore, the media is encouraged to refrain from speculation and to await official announcements regarding decisions and outcomes," he said.
Various international media outlets reported that Islamabad could be the venue for the talks as the war entered its fourth week.
According to the British daily Financial Times, Pakistan's Chief of Defence Forces, Field Marshal Asim Munir, spoke to US President Donald Trump on Sunday, seeking a mediating role between the US and Iran.
On Monday, Trump had announced on his social media platform that the US would postpone threatened strikes against Iranian power plants for five days, saying Washington had had "very good and productive conversations with Tehran" over the previous couple of days.
Trump refused to name the Iranian leader with whom the US is in talks, asserting that the interlocutor is a "top person" who is "most respected" in that country.
CNN reported that the US sent Iran a list of 15 demands outlining its expectations through Pakistan.
"The chief of Pakistan's intelligence agency (ISI), Lieutenant General Asim Malik, is among the officials in contact with US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner," it said, citing a source.
"Pakistan has been acting as a go-between for some time, delivering US messages to Tehran and back, but its diplomatic outreach has intensified in recent days as the conflict edged closer to a major escalation over energy infrastructure and the Strait of Hormuz," the Dawn newspaper reported, citing an official source.
Pakistan maintains close ties with both Iran and the Trump administration.
Munir met Trump in June and September last year. During the September visit, Sharif was also present alongside him.
Meanwhile, Sharif on Monday, in a telephone conversation with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, stressed the urgent need for collective efforts for de-escalation in West Asia.
The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said in a statement that Sharif conveyed his "serious concern" to Pezeshkian over the "dangerous ongoing hostilities in the Gulf region".
Starting February 28, the US and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran, which resulted in the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The joint strikes came after days of build-up with US President Donald Trump ramping up the pressure on Tehran to agree to a new deal on its nuclear programme.
Iran's retaliation escalated the war to the entire Gulf region.