Pakistan Ambassador: Distrust Hinders US-Iran Peace

Pakistan’s Ambassador to Indonesia, Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri, has stated that distrust is the greatest challenge in achieving peace between the United States (US) and Iran. “The biggest challenge is the distrust between the United States and Iran. We are talking about two countries that have not communicated for a long time and have no direct relationship with each other,” he told journalists at the Pakistan Embassy in Jakarta on Friday (26/6). According to Chaudhri, Pakistan, acting as a mediator, views it as crucial to bridge the trust gap and bring the US and Iran back to the negotiating table. Beyond the issue of distrust, Chaudhri said peace efforts also face challenges from parties seeking to derail the process. Additionally, building consensus is a challenge because it involves not only the US and Iran but also countries in the region. “All countries in the region are also key stakeholders in this peace process. We have successfully carried out all these roles. We have managed to get all the major countries in the region involved,” he said. Regarding the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the US and Iran, Chaudhri mentioned that Pakistan views this step as a very positive and encouraging development. He added that Pakistan also signed the document as a mediator. Chaudhri affirmed that his government will continue to work with the US and Iran to ensure the MoU is fully implemented in accordance with its content and purpose for the sake of achieving peace in the region. “This is not only for the interests of the two countries, but also for the interests of the region and the wider world,” he said.