Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held a telephone conversation with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, on Sunday, Pakistan’s Foreign Office said. The two discussed bilateral relations, the regional situation and recent developments in West Asia. They stressed that continued dialogue and diplomacy are needed to meet regional challenges, and they agreed to remain in close contact.
Iranian media reported that Araghchi made the call while in Baghdad for the 52nd session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Council of Foreign Ministers. According to Iranian outlets, the two also talked about diplomatic efforts to ease tensions and strengthen stability in the region.
Foreign Office details the Dar-Araghchi discussion
The Foreign Ministry’s post on X, dated October 18, 2026, said Dar stressed the value of ongoing dialogue and diplomacy in tackling regional problems. It added that the leaders also discussed the OIC foreign ministers’ meeting taking place in Baghdad, which is intended to address cooperation among member states and major regional and international issues.
A Foreign Office spokesperson said both leaders called for diplomatic channels to be used to deal with the complex challenges facing the region. They also agreed to keep consultations and communication going on regional matters.
Iran’s Strait of Hormuz offer and stalled US talks
Earlier on Sunday, Araghchi told Iranian media that Tehran’s offer to Washington to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days still stands. Iran made the proposal in mid-September, after an interim ceasefire collapsed. Tehran later said it had received a US response, but Iran’s security chief said last week that negotiations had stalled because Washington had not addressed all seven conditions for reopening the strait.
Speaking in Baghdad, Araghchi said Iran was reviewing the comments the US had shared. “Our situation is clear and based on the seven-days proposal presented to the US,” he said, adding that “our proposal is still on the table.”
Iran’s conditions include several demands, among them:
- lifting the US blockade on its ports
- lifting US sanctions on its oil exports
- ending hostilities on all regional fronts
Araghchi said that if Washington accepted these conditions, the strait could reopen within six days, with talks resuming the following day. Washington’s insistence on tackling Iran’s nuclear programme from the very beginning has been a central point of disagreement.
