Pakistan PM heads to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey with efforts on for US-Iran talks

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is to embark on a four-day diplomatic blitz to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey on Wednesday, Islamabad's foreign ministry said, as the country engages in feverish diplomacy ahead of a possible second round of US-Iran peace talks.

"Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif will undertake official visits to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the State of Qatar and the Republic of Turkiye from 15-18 April 2026," the ministry said in a statement, using Turkey's official name.

The visits to Saudi Arabia and Qatar would be conducted "in the bilateral context", while in Turkey Sharif will participate in the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, and will hold bilateral meetings with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other leaders on the sidelines, the statement said.

Washington and Tehran held their first face-to-face talks in decades in Islamabad over the weekend, with efforts underway to end the more than six-week war that began when the United States and Israel attacked Iran.

The war has plunged the Middle East into conflict, with Iran's retaliation targeting US allies in the Gulf -- including Saudi Arabia and Qatar -- and blocking energy exports from the region.

While the Islamabad talks ended without an agreement to end the conflict, US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that negotiations could resume this week in Islamabad.
A fragile ceasefire remains in place until next week, despite the United States ordering a naval blockade of Iran.

Sharif would be accompanied by Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar -- one of the mediators during the US-Iran talks -- and other senior officials on his visits.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia share close ties, and Islamabad's finance ministry announced on Wednesday that Riyadh would provide Pakistan with $3 billion to help bolster the country's foreign reserves.

That support came days after Pakistan said it was returning billions in loans to Riyadh's ally-turned-rival the UAE.

The finance ministry added that an existing $5 billion Saudi deposit would also be extended for an unspecified period.

Agence France-Presse