By Asghar Ali Mubarak
The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt arrive in Islamabad today for talks chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar—a meeting originally planned for Ankara, relocated to the country that has become the operational center of what passes for diplomacy in this conflict. Pakistan did not ask for this role. But after the war with India in May 2025, when it held its ground against a neighbor with a defence budget touching a hundred billion dollars, something shifted. Pakistan emerged as a nation that had proven itself under fire, and that proof became currency in the months that followed.
However, even as these diplomatic tracks advanced, the conflict intensified. Israeli warplanes bombed the uranium processing plant in Yazd, areas near the Bushehr nuclear power plant, and the Khondab heavy water complex. Two large steel factories in Khuzestan and Isfahan, and a civilian power plant were also targeted. Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization confirmed the attacks, claiming there were no casualties or radiation releases at the moment. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, while confirming the Israeli attacks, said that Netanyahu has gambled on the lives and taxes of the American people, and he has lost this gamble badly. Netanyahu is now ensuring that the American people bear the consequences of this loss.
Majid Mousavi, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, has announced that “an eye for an eye will no longer be an eye.” The Revolutionary Guards have issued an emergency directive ordering all employees of American and Israeli companies to leave work immediately, raising fears of a major counterattack. On the other hand, the Iranian Foreign Ministry says that the purpose of US President Trump’s statements is to reduce energy prices and gain time to implement his military plans. The statement said that some countries in the region are taking steps to reduce tensions, and some proposals have come from regional countries, but all these proposals and requests should be directed to Washington.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says that the US is waiting to see who will represent Iran in the negotiations. But we can achieve our goals without deploying ground troops in Iran. Speaking to the media after meeting with the G7 foreign ministers, Rubio said that keeping the Strait of Hormuz open, even if military objectives are achieved in Iran, could become an immediate challenge. The US will seek international cooperation to keep the Strait of Hormuz open after the war is over. There are fears that Iran may decide to establish a toll system for the Strait of Hormuz. Closing the Strait of Hormuz is dangerous; it is important that the world has a plan.
China has condemned the US and Israeli attack on a girls’ primary school in Iran, calling it an act that goes beyond human morality and conscience. According to China Global Television Network, Chinese delegate Jia Gui said in his address to the UN Human Rights Council meeting that the attack “exceeds human morality and conscience, the biggest violation of human rights and a clear violation of international humanitarian law.” He added that the US and Israel have escalated conflicts in the Middle East. More than 175 children and teachers were killed in the attack on the Shajara Tayyiba girls’ primary school. The US military and Israel have not yet completed their separate investigations into the attack.
In a television discussion, a heated argument broke out between Pakistani politician Mushahid Hussain Syed and Israeli general and former national security adviser Yaakov Amidror. Mushahid Hussain said that Iran has the upper hand, that this is Netanyahu’s war in which he has dragged Trump, that Trump is begging for peace. Iran is still holding out with full force in the fourth week. Perhaps Trump has stuck with Netanyahu because of the Epstein files. Amidror responded that the situation is normal, that fewer interceptors have been used than expected, that the goal is to destroy the missile program and nuclear program.
Senator Mushahid Hussain said on this occasion that both sides are making more and more demands. The 15 points that Trump has sent are things that he himself knows Iran will not accept, because he is asking for conditions that were not even mentioned in the initial agenda. In the beginning, the whole issue was around Iran’s nuclear program, but when Iran said that it was not making a bomb, they came up with new demands every day. So Iran also put forward tough conditions on its side. Iran believes that it currently has the upper hand because it is strangling the Strait of Hormuz, and also that the United States and Israel cannot be trusted. Iran believes that it has been betrayed twice—in June 2025 and now on February 28. So they want ironclad guarantees that this is not just a ceasefire, but a lasting and comprehensive peace agreement.
(The writer is a senior journalist covering various beats, can be reached at editorial@metro-morning.com)
