Pakistan's Overnight Diplomatic Push Secures Iran Ceasefire as Talks Near Collapse
Mediation efforts to stop the war in Iran were mere hours from complete collapse when Pakistan mounted an extraordinary overnight diplomatic push to secure a temporary ceasefire, according to multiple sources familiar with the negotiations. The eleventh-hour effort nearly unraveled completely after an Iranian strike on a Saudi petrochemical facility triggered fury in Riyadh and threatened to derail weeks of delicate back-channel diplomacy.
Intense Hours as Talks Teetered on Brink
With U.S. President Donald Trump's deadline looming and his warning that continued fighting could wipe out "a whole civilization," Pakistani officials mounted a desperate last-ditch attempt to pass messages between Tehran and Washington. One source described several "intense, breathless" hours during which "the talks were almost dead" before Iran finally agreed to a temporary ceasefire without preconditions and committed to enter formal negotiations.
Pakistan's effort involved direct contact with top officials across all sides, including President Trump, Vice President JD Vance, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, and senior Revolutionary Guards commander Ahmad Vahidi. The diplomatic marathon continued through the night, with Pakistan's military and civilian leadership remaining engaged in conversations with senior U.S., Iranian, Saudi, and other regional officials until Trump announced the breakthrough.
Delicate Balancing Act Between Allies
While Pakistan conveyed its "strongest ever anger" to Iran over the strike on Saudi Arabia—with whom Islamabad has a mutual defence pact that could potentially drag Pakistan into the conflict—it simultaneously sought crucial assurances from Washington regarding Israeli military actions. Iranian officials had launched the strike on the petrochemical complex in Jubail in retaliation for an Israeli attack on an Iranian facility, and Tehran made clear it could not enter negotiations if such strikes continued.
Pakistan then told Washington that Israeli actions were jeopardizing its peace efforts and that Islamabad might not be able to persuade Iran to come to the table. Only after receiving an assurance that Israel would hold back was Pakistan able to persuade Tehran to agree to the temporary ceasefire without preconditions.
Israeli Concerns and U.S. Demands
Sources briefed on the matter revealed that Israel had opposed a deal with Iran, believing more could be achieved militarily to further weaken Iran's leadership, although Israel had decided to ultimately support any decision made by President Trump. An Israeli official emphasized that Washington had coordinated with Israel, insisting that the truce did not include any commitment to permanently end the war, compensate Iran, or lift existing sanctions.
In any negotiations with Tehran, Washington would insist Iran hand over its nuclear material, halt uranium enrichment, and address the threat posed by its ballistic missile programme. In a televised address, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel had yet to achieve all its goals but could do so either through a U.S.-Iran deal or by resuming the fighting, warning that Israel's "finger is on the trigger."
Complex Negotiation Details Emerge
Around midnight GMT, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif urged all parties to observe a ceasefire to allow the peace process to begin—a coordinated move to lock in the agreement after both sides had already agreed in principle. The late-night conversations included repeated exchanges over a 15-point U.S. proposal and focused on two core questions: what the ceasefire would look like and the parameters for subsequent talks.
Iran proposed recognition of its sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz—the international waterway at the centre of much of the conflict—a demand likely to be unacceptable to Washington. Tehran was also asking for the right to pursue nuclear energy and strike bilateral defence deals with regional states, as mediators tried to steer talks away from issues that could cause immediate clashes.
Agreement Reached as Dawn Approached
Talks will start on Saturday with the U.S. delegation led by Vice President Vance, with Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner also part of the team. Iran has indicated it would turn over its stocks of enriched uranium, according to White House announcements. The Iranian delegation will be led by Foreign Minister Araqchi and parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf.
One Pakistani source revealed that the hardest part of the process was convincing Iran to accept a truce without preconditions. "Until the last hours, Iran acted as a hardliner. The Iranians were not ready to budge without first putting their demands forward. We told them the demands can wait for the talks to happen," the source explained.
By the time Trump announced the ceasefire and Sharif extended invitations to delegations from both countries, the sun was nearly rising over Islamabad. "We have been working throughout the night," Sharif said at a cabinet meeting. "...if we turn it into a book it will serve as a big lesson for this nation and for generations to come, about how not to give up in a hopeless situation."
