Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday stressed that dialogue and diplomacy remained the only viable path to resolving issues and achieving lasting peace and stability in the region.

Dar made the remarks during a meeting with Iran’s Ambassador to Pakistan Ambassador Reza Amiri Moghaddam, according to the Foreign Office (FO).

In a post on X, the FO said, the ambassador expressed gratitude for the “strong moral support extended by the people of Pakistan during this challenging time”.

“The DPM/FM conveyed his condolences over the loss of precious lives in the conflict and expressed hope for an early resolution. He underscored that dialogue and diplomacy remain the only viable path to resolving issues and achieving lasting peace and stability in the region,” it said.

The development comes amid an ongoing conflict in the Middle East, which began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28. In retaliatory strikes, Iran has targeted US assets and bases in Gulf countries. Amid the hostilities, the FO has termed Pakistan’s role a “bridge builder”.

On Monday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi thanked the government and people of Pakistan for extending their “strong solidarity and support” with Iran and its people who he said were facing aggression from the United States and Israel.

In a post in Urdu on X, Araghchi said: “On this blessed, divine, and spiritual day and hour, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the government and people of Pakistan for their strong expression of solidarity and support with the people and government of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the face of the aggression by America and the Zionist regime.”

It is worth mentioning that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Dar have been holding phone calls with dignitaries from relevant countries since the war began, repeatedly calling for de-escalation.

Earlier this month, PM Shehbaz also spoke to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to quietly explore prospects for a ceasefire aimed at ending the conflict.

He also travelled to Saudi Arabia on a brief visit and held a “restricted meeting” with Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. He expressed Pakistan’s full solidarity and support for the Gulf country in these challenging times, and agreed to work together for regional peace and stability.