The pair have spoken several times in the last month, notably to exchange Ramadan and Eid greetings but also to reaffirm Pakistan's hope for an end to the conflict with the United States and Israel.

Sharif said he extended greetings to Pezeshkian for the Persian new year and they also discussed "the grave situation in the Gulf region and agreed on the urgent need for de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy".

In a post on X, he said Pakistan was also committed to playing "a constructive role in advancing peace in the region".

In Tehran, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei suggested messages had been received from "some friendly countries indicating a US request for negotiations at ending the war", according to the official IRNA news agency.

Pakistan is one country mooted as a possible go-between, along with Egypt and Qatar.

Soon after Sharif's post, Pakistan said Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar separately talked to his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Aragchi, to discuss "recent regional developments".

"(They) emphasised the importance of dialogue & diplomacy to promote peace, security, and stability in the region and beyond," the foreign ministry wrote on X.

"Both sides agreed to remain in close contact on the evolving situation."

- Fine line -

Pakistan, currently embroiled in its own conflict with neighbouring Afghanistan, shares a border with Iran in its southwest, and has been treading a fine diplomatic line since the start of the war.

The country, which fears a cut in vital supplies of oil and gas from the Gulf, has had a mutual defence pact with Saudi Arabia since last year, cementing long-standing defence ties.

The agreement states that "any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both".

Sharif and army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir were both in Riyadh earlier this month and met de facto leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

According to the Pakistani Institute of Development Economics, there are about six million Pakistanis working in the Middle East, most of them in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

They account for just over half (54 percent) of the country's overseas remittances, it added.

At the same time, the government in Islamabad has kept its other long-standing ally close, condemning the killing of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and sending congratulations to his son and successor, Mojtaba

Shia Muslims make up about 10-15 percent of Pakistan's population. Ali Khamenei's death sparked deadly riots at US diplomatic missions across the country.

Iran was the first country to recognise Pakistan soon after its independence in 1947.

Likewise, Pakistan was one of the first to recognise the Islamic republic after the 1979 revolution.

phz/dw

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