Pakistan faced a significant diplomatic blow during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s recent visit to Iran when his call for renewed dialogue with India received a cautious response from Tehran. The visit, intended to showcase regional cooperation, instead highlighted the geopolitical constraints facing Islamabad. Shehbaz Sharif was received by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian at Tehran’s Saadabad Palace after arriving from Turkey. In a joint press conference, the Pakistani premier expressed a desire to restart comprehensive peace talks with India, covering critical issues such as Kashmir, terrorism, water sharing, and trade. However, Iran refrained from endorsing Pakistan’s outreach to New Delhi.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei took a measured stance, writing on X (formerly Twitter), “We are delighted with the end of conflicts between Pakistan and India and hope that the two countries’ differences will be resolved.” President Pezeshkian echoed this sentiment, calling for a “durable ceasefire” and encouraging peaceful dialogue but stopped short of explicitly supporting Sharif’s proposal. This diplomatic moment comes at a delicate time in Iran-Pakistan relations. Earlier this year, tensions flared when Iran conducted airstrikes in Pakistan’s Balochistan region, targeting the Jaish al-Adl terrorist group, which had attacked Iranian forces. Pakistan responded with retaliatory airstrikes inside Iranian territory, targeting the Baloch Liberation Front.
Against this tense backdrop, regional security dynamics have become increasingly complex following a deadly terrorist attack in India’s Pahalgam on April 22, which claimed 26 lives, including 25 Indian tourists and one Nepalese citizen. India responded on May 7 with ‘Operation Sindoor,’ striking nine terrorist infrastructure sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. These targets were reportedly linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba. Pakistan retaliated on May 8–10, launching swarm drone and artillery attacks on Indian military installations. India thwarted these attacks and responded with precision strikes, notably destroying Pakistan’s HQ-9B air defence system in Lahore. India has firmly stated that future talks with Pakistan will focus only on the return of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and the elimination of terrorism. The episode underscores the ongoing volatility in South Asia and the immense challenges in forging sustainable peace.