United States (US) Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday held a telephonic conversation with Prime Minister (PM) Shahbaz Sharif about the recent Iran-Israel conflict.

US State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce said, “Secretary Rubio emphasised that Iran can never develop or acquire a nuclear weapon.”

 

“The two leaders [Sharif and Rubio] acknowledged the importance of working together to promote a durable peace between Israel and Iran to maintain regional stability,” Bruce said, describing the telephonic conversation in a statement.

 

The call might point to the growing significance of cooperation and communications between Pakistan and the US, prompted by the conflict between Israel and Iran, the latter of which is Pakistan’s neighbour, giving Washington DC all the more reason to turn their attention to Islamabad to understand and potentially quell tensions in the Middle East.

 

Rubio’s statement during the call about not allowing Iran to develop and use nuclear weapons highlights the importance of Pakistan’s role. 

 

President Trump had also recently praised Pakistan’s knowledge of neighbouring Iran. “The Pakistanis know Iran very well, better than most," Trump said in White House after lunch with Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan Asim Muneir.

 

Trump’s praise for Field Marshal Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Asim Munir at The Hague after the NATO conference as ‘very impressive’ and his detailing his cooperation in reducing various global tensions, especially the war scare between India and Pakistan—all point towards the US President’s willingness to continue cooperation with Pakistan. 

 

The call brings a spotlight to the United States' growing interest in Pakistan as well as Pakistan’s significant international standing given the context of the conflict in the Middle East.