Pakistan's Role as a Mediator in the US–Iran Conflict: Strategic Drivers and Diplomatic Implications

Abstract

This study examines Pakistan's emergence as a mediator in the US-Iran conflict during 2026 and analyses the strategic factors that enabled Islamabad to assume this role. The study contends that Pakistan's mediatory role emerged from the geographic location of the country, cross-cutting bilateral ties, having access with military-to-military ties, and the changing dynamics in the region and not from its material power or traditional diplomatic influence. This research is qualitative using secondary information such as academic literature, policy reports, government statements and international media coverage. The analysis reveals that Pakistan has played a very effective role in enabling two rival nations to hold discussion in the hope of achieving peace and building up its image on the regional and international stage. There were, however, major constraints, such as limited access to key Iranian security institutions, reliance on personal contacts, and the unresolved nuclear dispute, which continued to affect the relationship between the United States and Iran. The study concludes that the experience of Pakistan offers an important contemporary case study of the effectiveness with which an emerging middle power can leverage its influence in a regional crisis through mediation, strategic positioning, and relationship-based diplomacy.