The stability of the Middle East is being played out this week on neutral ground after months of open hostilities that have put global security in check, especially with the rise in oil prices. In a top-level diplomatic effort, The US administration seeks to consolidate a cessation of hostilities that prevents an irreversible regional escalationwhile international mediators cautiously observe a process marked by mutual mistrust and incidents on the ground.
Vice President JD Vance landed in the Pakistani capital this Saturday leading a high-impact delegation that includes special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, a key player in the previous negotiations. On the Iranian side, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abbas Araghchi, and the President of Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, They are already in Islamabad to address the points of friction that threaten to blow up the fragile peace commitment recently achieved.
The core of the dispute centers on the strategic disagreements over the situation in Lebanon and control of the Strait of Hormuza vital point for global crude oil trade. Both sides come to the table with opposing positions, but aware that the collapse of this dialogue could return the region to a state of total war, undoing the discreet progress achieved by Pakistani diplomacy in recent weeks.
A conflict that has the world in suspense: 42 days since the war began
The direct war between Iran and the United States It formally broke out 42 days ago, on February 28, 2026. Aerial bombings against Iranian military targets and nuclear facilities by the Americans was the trigger for a war that has escalated in a few days. Offensive that caused the Iranian army to respond with the same force on US bases in the region as well as the closure of the Strait of Hormuza key place for the passage of oil and natural gas. On March 2, the war also spread to the Lebanon.
It was not until last April 7, at night, when Donald Trump announced that a first ten-point agreement had been reached with the intermediation of the Pakistani Prime Minister to end war for two weeks. A truce in which the cessation of attacks in Lebanon was not introduced and which has caused Pakistan to call senior leaders from both administrations to a meeting to seek a better solution.
