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Pakistan PM and army chief to visit Saudi Arabia from today
'Although taking place against the backdrop of heightened tensions in the Gulf, the visit will carry significance beyond the immediate crisis', foreign ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi said
- PUBLISHED: Thu 6 Aug 2026, 11:33 AM
Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and army chief Asim Munir will visit Saudi Arabia on August 6-8, the South Asian nation's foreign office said on Thursday.
"Although taking place against the backdrop of heightened tensions in the Gulf, the visit will carry significance beyond the immediate crisis and short term considerations," said foreign ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi, whose government has been mediating to end the US-Iran war that has drawn in Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia.
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The nation also hopes an agreement over the Strait of Hormuz will lead to the United States and Iran resuming talks under a memorandum of understanding that Islamabad helped mediate.
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"We hope that the agreement on the Strait will pave the way for continuing dialogue, particularly the resumption of technical level talks between Iran and the United States," foreign ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi told reporters.
A proposed deal between Iran and Oman to help end five months of war between Iran and the United States would give Tehran control over ships entering the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz, a senior Iranian source and two regional officials told Reuters on Wednesday, one of the biggest concessions yet to Iran.
There was no immediate US comment on the proposal. While US President Donald Trump has said a deal reopening the strait is imminent, US officials have repeatedly insisted they would never agree to Iran controlling access to the world's most important trade route for energy supplies.
An agreement that gives Iran authority over traffic through the strait would mean the war launched by the United States and Israel in February had resulted in a major shift in the balance of regional power in Tehran's favour. Before the war, the strait was freely open to all ships with no fees.
Amid a wider diplomatic effort in the region, Iran and Oman have been engaged in bilateral talks regarding the strait that they each control through northern and southern channels. Iran reported "significant progress" in the talks and said both inward and outward journeys would pass through Iranian waters.