Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Minister of Interior Mohsin Naqvi held separate meetings with Iranian Ambassador to Islamabad, Reza Amiri Moghadam, to exchange views on the regional situation and peace efforts.
Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar also held a phone call with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and received British High Commissioner Jane Marriott, during which the parties emphasized the importance of dialogue and diplomacy to resolve the disputes through peaceful measures.
Pakistan has tightened security measures and deployed over 10,000 security personnel in preparation for the resumption of US-Iran peace talks in the near future.
On Thursday, tensions escalated after Iran attacked three ships near the Strait of Hormuz and seized two others, claiming this was a retaliatory action against the US blockade of Iranian seaports and the interception of its vessels.
Iran declared that reopening the Strait of Hormuz is "impossible" as long as the US blockade exists. According to the speaker of the Iranian Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, a ceasefire is only meaningful when it is not violated by military actions such as maritime blockades.
The White House said that President Trump doesn’t consider Iran's seizure of several foreign vessels near the Strait of Hormuz a violation of the ceasefire, because these ships are neither owned by the US nor Israel. But the US did accuse Iran of "destabilizing maritime security".
