02 Pages : 9-15
http://dx.doi.org/10.31703/gfpr.2026(IX-II).02 10.31703/gfpr.2026(IX-II).02 Published : Jun 2026The Unlikely Broker: Pakistan’s diplomatic breakthrough in the US-Iran conflict (2026) Diplomatic strategy, Institutional Architecture, and Mediation by Pakistan
The diplomatic vacuum created by the conflict between the US and Iran on 28 February was a shock to the world, and no state was ready to fill that vacuum without the loss of its credibility. At this critical moment, Pakistan, a country having good relations with both states, came forward and successfully brokered a two-week ceasefire, announced on 8 April 2026, following weeks of devastating military confrontation. Pakistan officially hosted the US and Iran in Islamabad on 11 April 2026, which marked the first direct talks between the two states in 47 years. This paper analyses Pakistan’s mediating role in a major twenty-first-century geopolitical conflict, examining its historical background and dynamics. The strategies used by Pakistan and the institutional development in Pakistan regarding mediation, particularly the International Mediation and Arbitration Centre and the ADR reforms, support Pakistan’s expanding role in domestic and international dispute resolution.
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USA-Iran Conflict, Pakistan’s Role, Ceasefire, Asim Munir, Shahbaz Sharif
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(1) Aisha Rasool
Senior Consultant and Head of Research and Opinion Wing, Ministry of Law and Justice, Pakistan.
(2) Ajia Niazi
Research Associate, Ministry of Law and Justice, Pakistan.
Cite this article
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APA : Rasool, A., & Niazi, A. (2026). The Unlikely Broker: Pakistan’s diplomatic breakthrough in the US-Iran conflict (2026) Diplomatic strategy, Institutional Architecture, and Mediation by Pakistan. Global Foreign Policies Review, IX(II), 9-15. https://doi.org/10.31703/gfpr.2026(IX-II).02
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CHICAGO : Rasool, Aisha, and Ajia Niazi. 2026. "The Unlikely Broker: Pakistan’s diplomatic breakthrough in the US-Iran conflict (2026) Diplomatic strategy, Institutional Architecture, and Mediation by Pakistan." Global Foreign Policies Review, IX (II): 9-15 doi: 10.31703/gfpr.2026(IX-II).02
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HARVARD : RASOOL, A. & NIAZI, A. 2026. The Unlikely Broker: Pakistan’s diplomatic breakthrough in the US-Iran conflict (2026) Diplomatic strategy, Institutional Architecture, and Mediation by Pakistan. Global Foreign Policies Review, IX, 9-15.
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MHRA : Rasool, Aisha, and Ajia Niazi. 2026. "The Unlikely Broker: Pakistan’s diplomatic breakthrough in the US-Iran conflict (2026) Diplomatic strategy, Institutional Architecture, and Mediation by Pakistan." Global Foreign Policies Review, IX: 9-15
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MLA : Rasool, Aisha, and Ajia Niazi. "The Unlikely Broker: Pakistan’s diplomatic breakthrough in the US-Iran conflict (2026) Diplomatic strategy, Institutional Architecture, and Mediation by Pakistan." Global Foreign Policies Review, IX.II (2026): 9-15 Print.
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OXFORD : Rasool, Aisha and Niazi, Ajia (2026), "The Unlikely Broker: Pakistan’s diplomatic breakthrough in the US-Iran conflict (2026) Diplomatic strategy, Institutional Architecture, and Mediation by Pakistan", Global Foreign Policies Review, IX (II), 9-15
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TURABIAN : Rasool, Aisha, and Ajia Niazi. "The Unlikely Broker: Pakistan’s diplomatic breakthrough in the US-Iran conflict (2026) Diplomatic strategy, Institutional Architecture, and Mediation by Pakistan." Global Foreign Policies Review IX, no. II (2026): 9-15. https://doi.org/10.31703/gfpr.2026(IX-II).02