The United States conveyed a 15-point proposal to Tehran through Pakistan as a potential offramp to the escalating conflict, The New York Times reported on Tuesday, as Islamabad expressed its willingness to host talks if both sides agreed.
Citing officials familiar with the diplomatic effort, the report said it remains unclear whether Iran would accept the proposal as a basis for negotiations or whether Israel supports the initiative.
U.S. President Donald Trump first alluded to the proposal on Monday, saying Washington and Tehran had held “constructive” discussions aimed at ending the war.
While the United States has agreed “in principle” to participate in talks in Pakistan, according to three Pakistani officials, Egyptian official and Gulf officials cited by AP, mediators are trying to bring Iran to the negotiating table.
Trump Says US, Iran Held ‘Productive’ Talks on Resolving Conflict, Pauses Strikes
According to an Egyptian official the diplomacy focuses on “trust-building” between Washington and Tehran, with the ultimate goal of securing a pause in hostilities and establishing a “mechanism” to reopen the Strait of Hormuz – which partly remains shut and cause for stalled energy trade and spiraling oil prices.
Trump also announced a five-day pause in threatened U.S. strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure to allow space for diplomacy.
Pakistan’s offer to facilitate talks followed high-level outreach by its leadership to both Washington and Tehran. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif spoke with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday, while Army Chief Asim Munir held discussions with President Trump on Sunday.
Pakistan Says Ready to Host US-Iran Talks as Diplomatic Efforts Intensify on Ending War
Even as diplomatic efforts intensified, fighting continued across the region with missiles flying over the Middle Eastern skies.
Iran has issued mixed signals on prospects of engagement—initially denying any talks and later confirming that messages had been exchanged through “friendly countries.”
Speaking to reporters at the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump said Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were participating in the diplomatic effort, alongside envoys including Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff.
Trump also publicly endorsed Sharif’s offer to host talks, reposting the Pakistani leader’s statement on his Truth Social site.
Meanwhile, Iran and Israel carried out strikes on Tuesday and in Washington reports said Pentagon is working to deploy at least 1,000 troops from the 82nd Airborne Division to the region.
Iftikhar Ali is a veteran Pakistani journalist, former president of UN Correspondents Association, and a recipient of the Pride of Performance civil award
