Pakistan hosts peace talks as Iran accuses US of ground assault plans

Foreign ministers from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey met on Sunday for talks on the war in the Middle East, with Islamabad acting as a go-between for the United States and Iran.



The four-way meeting between the top diplomats of the Muslim nations convened "to review the evolving regional situation and discuss issues of mutual interest", Pakistan's foreign ministry said in a brief statement.



Egypt's Badr Abdelatty and Hakan Fidan from Turkey arrived in Islamabad on Saturday night, while their Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan touched down on Sunday afternoon.



Iran, the United States and Israel were not represented, a foreign ministry source said.



Before the meeting, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held separate bilateral talks with his visiting counterparts.



Fidan and Abdelatty also jointly met Pakistan's powerful army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir.



The government in Pakistan has emerged as a key facilitator between Iran and the United States as their war drags on, serving as an intermediary for messages between the two sides.



Islamabad has longstanding links with Tehran and close contacts in the Gulf, while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Munir have struck up a personal rapport with US President Donald Trump.