Iranian President Pezeshkian visits Pakistan following US-Iran truce mediated by Islamabad

Jun 23, 2026

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in Pakistan on June 23, 2026, to meet with President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif following a historic US-Iran truce mediated by Islamabad. The visit comes amid ongoing technical negotiations in Switzerland under the Islamabad Memorandum, which outlines a 60-day roadmap, the release of $12 billion in frozen Iranian funds, and temporary sanctions relief. However, diplomatic progress faces immediate hurdles, including a dispute over UN nuclear inspections and fragile ceasefire conditions in Lebanon.

US-Iran nuclear inspection dispute

▪Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei stated that United Nations inspectors are not scheduled to examine nuclear sites bombed by the United States.
▪The United States and Iran are in a dispute over whether Tehran has agreed to allow United Nations inspections of its nuclear sites.
▪United States President Donald Trump stated he would cut off talks with Tehran immediately if Iran has not agreed to nuclear inspections.

Strait of Hormuz evacuation

▪The International Maritime Organization is cooperating on a plan to evacuate 11,000 crew members stranded on ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
▪Kpler data confirmed that 39 ships crossed through the Strait of Hormuz on June 22, 2026, compared to about 92 crossings between June 19 and June 21, 2026.

Pezeshkian Pakistan visit

▪Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in Islamabad, Pakistan on June 23, 2026, for his first overseas visit since the United States and Israel launched war on Iran on February 28, 2026.
▪Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif pledged that Pakistan will continue its role as a mediator between the United States and Iran until lasting peace is achieved.
▪Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in Pakistan aboard a special aircraft named Minab 168, commemorating 168 people killed in an attack on an Iranian girls' school.

Switzerland negotiations framework

▪The Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding established a framework for a ceasefire, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and a 60-day roadmap toward a final agreement.
▪Under the negotiated agreement, the United States will release $12 billion in frozen Iranian funds and temporarily ease international sanctions on Iranian oil and petrochemicals until August 21, 2026.

Israel-Hezbollah Lebanon ceasefire tensions

▪The United States and Iran agreed to create a de-confliction cell to address the fighting between Israel and the Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah in Lebanon.
▪Israeli soldiers opened fire and killed two people in southern Lebanon on June 23, 2026, following two days of calm under a ceasefire brokered on June 20, 2026.