Pakistan’s Foreign Minister, Ishaq Dar, said in a televised speech Sunday that his country will “host and facilitate meaningful talks between the two sides," in order to reach a "comprehensive and lasting settlement of the ongoing conflict.” He added that “both Iran and the U.S. have expressed their confidence in Pakistan to facilitate the talks. Time reported.
Dar did not say whether the talks would be direct or through intermediaries, and the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from TIME. Either way, it would mark the first negotiations between the two countries since the outbreak of the war on Feb. 28, when the U.S. and Israel launched a surprise attack that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
The announcement came as the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt met in Islamabad for talks aimed at bringing an end to the war.
Dar said the four countries discussed "possible ways to bring an early and permanent end to the war" in a statement on Sunday.
The initial discussions have been focused on finding a diplomatic solution to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Reuters reported. Reopening the key waterway, which has been effectively closed by Iran since the beginning of the war, is now a key aim of President Donald Trump.
