Pakistan is committed to encouraging all parties to engage in peace talks to settle the conflict between the United States and Iran, reiterated Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Sunday.
He also said the country supports maintaining stability in the region and advocates a peaceful resolution of the U.S.-Iran conflict through dialog and diplomatic means, in a phone call with Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Safadi.
Separately, according to a report by the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) on Sunday, Iran's Ambassador to Pakistan Reza Amiri Moghadam said in an interview that day that Pakistan is the primary mediator in the current mediation process between Iran and the United States.
Iran has no intention to replace the mediator, and it is clear that the U.S. side holds a similar position, he said.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Sunday the United States has responded to Iran's 14-point proposed plan to end the war.
In its proposal sent to the United States through Pakistan, Iran seeks guarantees against military aggression, U.S. troop withdrawal from the region, the release of frozen Iranian assets, the removal of sanctions, while calling for a new mechanism for the Strait of Hormuz and ending the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, according to media reports.
Pakistan committed to promoting peace talks to end US-Iran conflict
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Sunday that the recent U.S.decision to reduce its troop presence in Germany has no connection to his earlier critical remarks regarding the Iran conflict.
The Pentagon announced on Friday that it is planning to withdraw about 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany, which is expected to be completed over the next six to 12 months. This announcement came after Merz's remarks about the United States being "planless" in its military engagement in Iran and "humiliated by the Iranian leadership."
During an interview with public broadcaster ARD, Merz said that he was not surprised by the U.S. decision on troop reduction.
Merz said that, despite the recent verbal tensions with U.S. President Donald Trump, he would not give up on cooperation with the U.S. side. Calling the United States as Germany's most important partner within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Merz said that there has been no reduction in U.S. nuclear-sharing arrangements and that the U.S. commitment to providing nuclear deterrence for the NATO region remains in place.
Merz also confirmed that the United States will not deploy Tomahawk cruise missiles in Germany for the time being, but he believed that the plan has not been permanently abandoned. "The Americans currently do not have enough themselves," he said.
The Tomahawk weapon systems were originally pledged by former U.S. President Joe Biden in 2024 to bolster European deterrence. Along with the troop cut announcement, multiple U.S. media outlets recently said Washington has also canceled the plan to reinforce European troops.
Trump said on Saturday that the United States plans to withdraw "a lot further" than the 5,000 troops from Germany that the Pentagon had said earlier.
"We're going to cut way down, and we're cutting a lot further than 5,000," Trump told reporters before boarding Air Force One in the southeastern U.S. state of Florida.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said on Thursday that Germany is prepared for a possible reduction of the U.S. troops in the country.
More than 36,000 U.S. active duty troops were deployed to bases throughout Germany as of the end of last year, along with nearly 1,500 reservists and 11,500 civilians, according to Defense Department data.
Germany also hosts the headquarters of U.S. European Command and Africa Command, and its Ramstein Air Base serves as a key hub for U.S. military operations.
German Chancellor Merz says US troop withdrawal not related to his remarks on Iran conflict
