Dar, Araghchi voice concern over Israeli ceasefire violations in Lebanon

ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Friday expressed serious concern over Israel's reported violations of the ceasefire in Lebanon during a telephone conversation, despite the recently concluded US-Iran peace agreement.

According to a statement issued by Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the two foreign ministers reviewed the evolving regional situation and discussed developments following the landmark peace accord between the United States and Iran.

During the conversation, both leaders highlighted continuing Israeli military actions in Lebanon, describing them as violations of the ceasefire arrangement and expressing deep concern over their implications for regional peace and stability.

Foreign Minister Dar congratulated the Iranian leadership, government and people on the signing of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Iran and the United States. He also conveyed his best wishes for the next phase of negotiations, expressing confidence that the dialogue process would proceed smoothly and lead to positive outcomes.

For his part, Foreign Minister Araghchi thanked Pakistan for its constructive and sustained mediation efforts that helped bring an end to the conflict and paved the way for the historic agreement between Tehran and Washington.

He also expressed gratitude to Pakistan for facilitating the repatriation of 30 Iranian nationals, including eight fishermen rescued at sea by the United Kingdom and 22 crew members recently interdicted by US authorities. Pakistan is currently coordinating transit arrangements for their return to Iran.

The two ministers underscored the importance of maintaining close diplomatic engagement and agreed to remain in regular contact on regional and bilateral matters.

The conversation comes a day after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the Islamabad MoU as a mediator, formalising a major diplomatic breakthrough between the United States and Iran aimed at ending the 108-day conflict in the region.

The agreement, also signed by Donald Trump and Masoud Pezeshkian, extends the ceasefire announced in April by an additional 60 days, including its application to Lebanon, to create space for negotiations on a permanent peace settlement.

The 14-point accord is being viewed as a significant diplomatic achievement, with both Washington and Tehran expressing optimism that the agreement will help foster lasting peace, stability and regional cooperation.