Iran rejects Shehbaz Sharif’s mediation claims, Says qatar Is leading US talks

Tehran/Islamabad: A fresh diplomatic disagreement has surfaced after Iranian state media strongly rejected claims made by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif regarding Islamabad’s role in ongoing Iran-US negotiations.

According to Iran’s Fars News Agency, Sharif’s remarks about Pakistan playing a “significant” mediatory role are “completely mistaken” and appear to stem from incomplete or incorrect information.

The report directly pushed back against suggestions that Pakistan has emerged as a major channel between Tehran and Washington, stressing that Islamabad currently holds no key position in the negotiations.

One of the major points of contention revolves around the issue of missile discussions.

Fars cited officials involved in the talks as saying that Iran’s missile programme is not on the agenda, contrary to speculation. The agency pointed to the recently published Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), stating that the text clearly excludes missile-related matters.

Sources quoted by the Iranian outlet suggested that Pakistan’s public statements may be part of an effort to amplify its diplomatic image rather than reflect its actual role.

Instead, the report highlighted Qatar as the most active and effective mediator facilitating contact between Iran and the United States.

This assessment appears to align with broader regional observations.

Top Indian intelligence sources have indicated that Tehran remains cautious about Pakistan’s neutrality due to its deep strategic and defence relationship with Saudi Arabia.

According to these sources, Iran views Pakistan’s close ties with Riyadh including defence cooperation as a factor that raises concerns over Islamabad potentially favoring Sunni Gulf interests over Iran’s security priorities.

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This, they say, has created trust issues regarding any Pakistan-brokered diplomatic arrangements.

The latest reports also suggest that Pakistan is neither a key signatory nor a central player in recent understandings between Iran and the US, further strengthening Qatar’s role as the preferred communication bridge.

The development comes shortly after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi visited Pakistan, where they met with President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Interestingly, during the visit, Iranian officials had publicly appreciated Pakistan’s role in facilitating dialogue and helping advance the memorandum of understanding.

That contrast has now added a layer of confusion to the diplomatic narrative.

Whether this is simply a matter of differing interpretations or a deeper geopolitical recalibration remains to be seen, but for now, Iran’s message is clear: Pakistan is not at the center of the negotiation table.