Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan’s prime minister, after meeting Masoud Pezeshkian, the president of Iran, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, reported Pakistan’s “deep concern” about the continued fighting in the region and emphasized the “urgent need” for restraint, de-escalation, and ongoing diplomacy.

Referring to his “important dialogue” with Pezeshkian about the evolving situation in the region, Sharif added: “I once again expressed Pakistan’s deep concern about the long-term fighting and emphasized the urgent need for restraint, de-escalation, and ongoing diplomacy.”

The Pakistani prime minister also reiterated his country’s commitment to advancing the “Islamabad memorandum” and said Pakistan would continue to play a “sincere and constructive” role in efforts to achieve lasting peace and stability in the region.

Pakistan was the main mediator in the initial understanding between the Islamic Republic and the United States to end the war, known as the Islamabad memorandum. The understanding collapsed before it could be implemented due to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ attacks on commercial ships in the Persian Gulf.