Iran's neighbor, U.S. ally: What Pakistan gains from being a peacemaker

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (R) greets US Vice President JD Vance prior to a quadrilateral meeting between the United States, Iran, Pakistan and Qatar at the Burgenstock luxury hotel complex overlooking Lake Lucerne, Switzerland, on June 21, 2026, as part of high-level talks aimed at advancing a deal to end the Middle East conflict. A new round of negotiations over the Middle East war was set to kick off on June 21, 2026 with Iranian negotiators arriving in the Swiss host city hours ahead of US Vice President JD Vance, even as Tehran said it was closing the Strait of Hormuz again over Israeli attacks in Lebanon. (Photo by URS FLUEELER / POOL / AFP via Getty Images) Urs Flueeler | Afp | Getty Images Pakistan's role as a peacemaker in the Iran war, which undermined the security of the Gulf countries and affected multiple economies through energy price shocks , has raised its diplomatic profile across the world and garnered high praise from U.S. leadership. Though the war has stressed Islamabad's economy, its resolve to bring an end to the conflict is primarily driven by the need to avoid a spillover across its borders while fostering warm ties with the U.S., experts said. Pakistan shares a 900-kilometer border with Iran and is home to the world's second-largest Shia population, after Iran. …