• DPM Dar, Rubio to review bilateral ties during meeting: FO.
• Meeting to review regional and global developments: FO.
• DPM Dar to depart for Islamabad later the same day: FO.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is set to discuss Pakistan’s efforts for Middle East peace with United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington tomorrow, the Foreign Office said on Thursday.

During the meeting, Dar and Rubio will review bilateral relations and exchange views on regional and global developments of mutual interest, read a statement issued by the FO.

The discussions will also focus on strengthening cooperation in key priority sectors, as well as “Pakistan’s efforts to promote regional peace and stability through dialogue and diplomacy”, the FO said.

According to the FO, DPM Dar’s visit to Washington reflected Pakistan’s commitment to further deepening its longstanding and broad-based partnership with the United States.

Following the completion of his official engagements in Washington, Dar is scheduled to depart for Islamabad later the same day.

Iran, US trade new strikes

The confirmation of the meeting and its agenda comes amid soaring Middle East tensions following renewed clashes between the US and Iran.

Iran said it targeted a US air base in Kuwait after US forces struck what Washington described as an Iranian drone operation near the Strait of Hormuz.

The attacks, while limited, highlighted the fragility of negotiations to turn the tenuous ceasefire that took effect in early April into an agreement to end the three-month-old war that has killed thousands and reopen the vital shipping route.

US Central Command said that US forces had shot down five Iranian attack drones and struck a ground control station in the port city of Bandar Abbas that was about to launch a sixth drone. Kuwaiti forces had then intercepted a ballistic missile fired towards the country, which hosts a large US base.

“These actions were measured, purely defensive and intended to maintain the ceasefire,” a US official, who requested anonymity to speak candidly about military operations, told Reuters earlier.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had targeted the US base responsible for an early-morning attack near Bandar Abbas airport and that any repeat would lead to a “more decisive response”, Tasnim news agency reported.

Pakistan has been acting as a key mediator between Washington and Tehran since hostilities broke out in the Middle East on February 28.

The conflict erupted after the US and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iran, prompting retaliatory attacks by Tehran on US bases across the region.

The fighting stopped on April 8 when Pakistan mediated a two-week ceasefire between the two sides.

Islamabad later hosted delegations from the two countries for peace talks between April 11 and 12; however, the talks concluded without an agreement for a permanent end to the war.

Despite the deadlock, Pakistan has continued to relay messages between the US and Iran to help end their longstanding disputes.

—With additional input from Reuters