Opinion: Opinion | Pakistan's Iran Problem Isn't Going Anywhere

As fighting between the US and Iran returns to March 2026 levels, the Islamabad MoU that both sides signed on June 17-18 is under severe strain. Barring the possibility of ground operations in Iran by the US and its allies, both Washington and Tehran will inevitably return to the negotiating table, given the pressures on the global energy economy. While it remains to be seen how much the current fighting will force Washington to comply with the MoU's terms (especially vis-à-vis Hormuz), the MoU itself has a principal third signatory - the Prime Minister of Pakistan. This article does not debate the degree to which Pakistan has succeeded or failed at "mediating" the conflict between the US and Iran. Rather, it explores a crucial secondary question: what has Pakistan's unanticipated diplomatic blitz meant for the Iran-Pakistan relationship? The two states, which were once staunch but competitive allies within America's Cold War security architecture, have remained fundamentally at odds since the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran. Pakistan's role in the current conflict does not necessarily generate long-term strategic trust between the two, but rather entrenches the complicated outlook that these two Islamic Republics have long adopted towards each other.</p><!--dsk1--><h2><b>Not Your Typical Mediator</b></h2>