Pakistan PM urges Iran to preserve 'hard-earned' peace

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Middle East conflict negotiator Pakistan has urged Iran's president to safeguard the "hard-earned peace" after Tehran and Washington exchanged strikes this week.

"We discussed the evolving regional situation and underscored the imperative of restraint, dialogue and diplomacy to safeguard the hard-earned peace gains of recent months," Mr Sharif posted on X of his conversation with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

Mr Sharif added that Pakistan remained ready to continue "as an honest and sincere mediator for lasting regional peace".

US President Donald Trump said the United States has agreed to continue negotiations with Iran but reiterated that the ceasefire between the two countries is finished.

"Iran has asked us to continue 'talks.' We have agreed to do so, but the United States has stated to them, in no uncertain terms, that the Cease Fire is OVER!" Mr Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.

Mr Trump said in the Turkish capital Ankara earlier this week that the 8 April ceasefire - which ended weeks of all-out war but has been marred by repeated lower-intensity conflict - was done, terming Iranian officials "scum" and "sick people."

The US president also said at the time that he would speak to US envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner but insisted it was up to Iran to return to the table.

Iran's top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf ⁠said that Iran was ready for "all-out defence" if the US betrayed last month's memorandum of understanding, and the war would ‌never ⁠end with Iran's surrender.

Mr Ghalibaf added that he told the ⁠US Vice ‌President JD Vance during negotiations that Iran did not ⁠trust ‌the United States and that, in his view, only those prepared ⁠for war could negotiate with ⁠the United States.

The two sides have exchanged fire on several occasions this week, with Iran targeting commercial ships, the US carrying out strikes in response and Iran attacking US assets in Middle Eastern countries with drones and missiles.

Meanwhile, Egyptian and Qatari foreign ministers called on the United States and Iran to resume negotiations.

During a phone call, Egypt's Badr Abdelatty and Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani "urged all parties to give priority to the language of diplomacy and dialogue and to return to the negotiating table," Egypt's foreign ministry said in a statement.

Qatari negotiators were meeting officials in Iran today to seek to de-escalate tensions after the exchange of fire and to discuss navigation through the ‌Strait of Hormuz, a source with knowledge of the situation told Reuters.

Daily tanker traffic through the critical waterway ⁠appeared to have slowed today, after the series of attacks stoked concerns ‌about the recovery of global oil supplies and shipping, and highlighted ⁠the fragility ‌of the interim truce.

Oil prices eased today but remained on track for weekly gains of 5% after ‌the flare-up.