Pakistan acting as mediator between Iran and US: FT

Two sources are telling the Financial Times that Pakistan is acting as a negotiator between the United States and Iran. 

The sources, who were briefed on the call, said Pakistan's army chief, Asim Munir, had spoken with US President Donald Trump about a possible de-escalation. 

Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif spoke with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday. 

The two people briefed on the matter said senior Pakistani officials were back-channelling communications between Tehran and Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff in a bid to secure a brief ceasefire and space for negotiations. 

The sources added that Pakistan is also hoping to host peace negotiations in Islamabad between senior US and Iranian officials. 

An end to fighting is critical for Pakistan, given that Islamabd shares a land border with Iran and has the second-largest Shia Muslim population after its neighbour. 

Pakistan is also running low on liquiefied natural gas (LNG) , with officials saying it will run out of LNG by April if it does not receive further deliveries. 

Islamabad also has close relations with Gulf states, including a mutual defence pact signed last year with Saudi Arabia.