Pakistans Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met with US Ambassador Natalie Baker in Islamabad today for what officials described as a detailed and wide-ranging exchange on the rapidly evolving situation across the region. The meeting, held at a moment of acute diplomatic sensitivity, signals the intensity of behind-the-scenes coordination between Pakistan and Washington as both sides work to keep the fragile peace process alive.
At the heart of the discussion were Pakistan's ongoing efforts to convene a second round of US-Iran talks in Islamabad negotiations that carry enormous weight at a moment when the ceasefire remains legally contested, Iran has seized two ships in the Strait of Hormuz, and the window for a diplomatic breakthrough is narrowing with every passing hour. Naqvi's direct engagement with the US Ambassador underscores that the push for talks is not limited to Pakistan's foreign ministry-it is a whole-of-government effort.
For Washington, Pakistan remains the only viable channel through which both sides have agreed to engage, and keeping Islamabad motivated, informed, and operationally ready to host is a diplomatic priority in its own right. The Ambassador's meeting with the Interior Minister-a figure central to security arrangements for any high-stakes summit suggests preparations for the second round may be further advanced than publicly acknowledged.
Pakistan has now brokered the original ceasefire, secured its first extension at Prime Minister Shehbaz's personal request to President Trump, and is actively working to bring Iran back to the table despite Tehran's deep reservations over the continuing naval blockade. Today's meeting is another quiet but consequential step in that effort-and a reminder that in this crisis, all roads to peace still run through Islamabad.
