An unlikely grouping of Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey has stepped up efforts to broker a ceasefire in the Middle East, marking the emergence of a new four-nation bloc aimed at curbing the dominance of Iran and Israel. The foreign ministers of these countries met in Islamabad on Sunday, with the gathering described as the official opening ceremony of an initiative that has intrigued diplomats.
The quartet's primary goal is to persuade all sides to stop the escalation and agree a ceasefire amid an increasingly complex web of disputes. Yasmine Farouk, a Gulf specialist at the International Crisis Group, noted that the group has become very active because the war has reached a dangerous stage, with Israel damaging nuclear plants inside Iran and potential troop deployments raising fears of a wider crisis.
The meeting made some progress, ending with an Iranian agreement to allow vessels operating under the Pakistani flag to transit the Strait of Hormuz, possibly two per day. It was also established that the group would act as a primary interlocutor with Iran, keeping indirect negotiating channels open between Tehran and the US.
Immediately after the meeting, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar flew to China to brief Beijing on the crisis. A role for China as a guarantor of any agreement, something the US would deplore, has been mooted from inside Iran.
Turkey is probably the most committed member of the group, having long argued that talks about Iran's ballistic missile programme and its support for proxy groups should involve countries from the whole region, not just bilaterally with the US. Turkish officials have urged Gulf states to see the wider context of the war and realise the risks of encouraging an outcome that strengthens Israel.
