ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and US Charge d’Affaires Natalie Baker met on Thursday to discuss the Middle East situation and Pakistan’s offer to host a second round of talks between the US and Iran.

The meeting comes days after US President Donald Trump extended the ceasefire after Iran appeared reluctant to join the talks over the blockade of its ports.

Mr Naqvi welcomed the extension as “a significant move toward reducing tensions” and said Pakistan expected “positive progress from Iran”. He added that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir were “making full efforts at every level to resolve the issue”.

“We hope that the parties will give a chance to a diplomatic and peaceful solution,” Mr Naqvi said.

Ms Baker praised Pakistan’s “constructive role in establishing peace and resolving the conflict in the region”, according to an interior ministry statement. She did not speak to reporters after the meeting.

Pakistan shares a 560-mile border with Iran and has repeatedly urged de-escalation to avoid regional spillover. The Foreign Office said on Wednesday that Islamabad remains in contact with all parties. The United States and Israel launched a war of aggression against Iran on February 28, assassinating Ayatollah Ali Kha­menei and several top military commanders.

On April 8, after 40 days of war, Iran and the US reached a two-week ceasefire brokered by Pakistan, followed by the first round of negotiations in Islamabad to end the war.

Published in Dawn, April 24th, 2026