• Iranian president acknowledges proposals by Pakistan, Russia to de-escalate
• PM’s aide says Islamabad continues to stand by Riyadh ‘no matter what’
ISLAMABAD: Iran’s president has demanded “reparations” and “firm international guarantees against future aggression”, calling this the only way to end the war “ignited by the Zionist regime [of Israel] & US”.
The demand was articulated by Masoud Pezeshkian in a late-night tweet on Wednesday, where he referred to his conversations with the leaders of Pakistan and Russia.
The missive came after PM Shehbaz Sharif spoke to President Pezeshkian to quietly explore prospects for a ceasefire aimed at ending the conflict, which is now entering its second week.
In his tweet, the Iranian president said he had “reaffirmed Iran’s commitment to peace in the region”, adding that the only way to end the was “recognising Iran’s legitimate rights, payment of reparations, and firm int’l guarantees against future aggression”.
Diplomatic sources said US envoy Steve Witkoff sent two proposals to Iran on Tuesday, suggesting dates to halt hostilities, but Iranian officials did not respond.
After receiving no reply from Tehran, Washington reportedly approached European and regional countries to relay the proposal or facilitate mediation.
There was no public statement from either the PM’s Office or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the conversation, but officials from both institutions privately confirmed that the two leaders spoke.
PM Shehbaz’s outreach followed his congratulatory message to Iran’s new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mostafa Khamenei, a day earlier.
According to Anadolu Agency, the Iranian president reiterated Tehran’s stance, saying they had “no intention of targeting or engaging in conflict with regional countries”, adding that only bases from which Iranian territory was attacked would be targeted “within the framework of the right to self-defence”.
“If the international community and international organizations do not pay attention to and address the main factors behind this imposed war and military aggression against Iran, the conditions governing global order and security will become chaotic and unstable,” Anadolu quoted him as saying, citing Iranian media reports.
During the call, PM Shehbaz offered condolences on the assassination of former supreme leader Ali Khamenei, and congratulated the president, government, and nation of Iran on the election of Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei as his successor.
He also expressed the hope that under his leadership, Iran will witness even greater prosperity.
In his tweet on Wednesday, President Pezeshkian also referred to his call with Russian President Vladimir Putin a day earlier.
According to the Kremlin, Putin had reaffirmed his support for a swift de-escalation of the ongoing conflict, and its resolution through political means.
The call between the two presidents was the second contact this month.
Later, Putin also spoke to Donald Trump, where the Kremlin said he had offered the US president suggestions on how to de-escalate the situation in the Middle East.
‘Stand by Riyadh’
Meanwhile, in an interview with Bloomberg TV that aired on Wednesday, Prime Minister’s Spokesperson for Foreign Media Mosharraf Zaidi said that Pakistan would stand by Saudi Arabia “before it is needed… no matter what, no matter when”.
Mr Zaidi was asked whether Pakistan would come to Saudi Arabia’s aid “militarily or otherwise” amid the war triggered in the Middle East following US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
“The question is not whether Pakistan might come to Saudi Arabia’s aid. Both countries, even before the strategic mutual defence agreement, have operated on a principle of being there for the other before they need the other. So, there is no question that we might; we will. No matter what, no matter when,” he said.
He maintained that the “real question” was what Pakistan was doing to ensure that the situation did not escalate to a point where “any of its closest partners are further embroiled in a conflict that potentially undermines stability and prosperity”.
He recalled that Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir’s recent visit to Saudi Arabia and said Pakistan remained in touch with both the Saudi and Iranian leadership.
Mr Zaidi added that PM Shehbaz and Field Marshal Munir had great ties with the US leadership as well.
He said Saudi Arabia “has already made arrangements to support Pakistan’s supply chain stability in terms of oil, diesel and crude”.
During the interview, Mr Zaidi was also asked about Pakistan’s engagements with Iran. In response, he said Pakistan was “very conscious of its responsibility as a close ally and friend” to the countries involved.
He said there had been several conversations between Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi over the past two weeks. “We don’t like our friends getting into quarrels with each other, and we certainly don’t like innocent people dying needlessly,” he added.
He also noted that the use of alternative supply routes could mean fuel reaching Pakistan in “18, 19 or 20 days” instead of the usual “five to six days”, creating a significant gap in supply planning.
Published in Dawn, March 12th, 2026
