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Pakistan has been leading mediation efforts to end this round of fighting between the U.S. and Iran. It's urging restraint as strikes pick back up. Pakistan's statement came even as President Trump said on Truth Social that the U.S. would charge a rate of 20% on all cargo shipped through the Strait of Hormuz in return for ensuring security. NPR's Diaa Hadid brings us the latest.
DIAA HADID, BYLINE: President Trump gave no further details on the new rate he proposed for cargo to transit. The Strait of Hormuz used to be freely navigated before the U.S. and Israel declared war on Iran. It was only about a month ago that Pakistan had mediated a memorandum of understanding that ended hostilities and which kicked off negotiations on a permanent peace deal. The unraveling came after Iran struck three ships in the Strait of Hormuz on July 7, which it accused of not coordinating their passage with Tehran. The U.S. hit back with waves of strikes that so far have not ended. Iran has also been targeting Gulf countries, including Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar. Those strikes threaten to widen this conflict further.
Amid the fighting, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif led a flurry of calls to try to ease tensions. And even as the two sides clashed, Reuters reported that Iranian officials traveled to the Gulf state of Oman on Saturday to try to resolve tensions over ships navigating the strait. Both Oman and Iran overlook the narrow passageway. Qamar Cheema, the executive director of the Islamabad-based think tank the Sanober Institute, tells NPR that the two sides are stuck.
QAMAR CHEEMA: The leadership in Iran and the U.S., they need a new off-ramp, and they will only get it through, obviously, the players who have been mediating, and particularly Pakistan.
HADID: Cheema says, despite the fighting and the furious bluster, Iran and the U.S. will eventually agree to Pakistani mediation - the only country that enjoys the trust of both sides. Diaa Hadid, NPR News, Lahore.
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