Iran and Saudi Arabia offered to mediate between Pakistan and India following a deadly attack in Indian Kashmir that reignited decades-old tensions, while Islamabad hinted at potential Russian and Chinese involvement in an international investigation.
Iran’s foreign minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, on Friday described India and Pakistan as “brotherly neighbours” and said Tehran stood ready to use its “good offices” in both capitals to defuse the crisis.
His statement – posted on social media and quoted from a 13th-century Persian poem about shared humanity – came amid high drama after a militant attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam valley killed 26 tourists.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also spoke by phone with both Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Shehbaz Sharif over the weekend, urging calm.
The mediation offer – made in parallel with a similar push by Saudi Arabia – signals a rare call for third-party help as India blames Pakistani-backed militants and Islamabad denies involvement.
Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan held separate calls on Friday with India’s S Jaishankar and Pakistan’s Ishaq Dar to discuss the attack and its cross-border implications.
According to the Indian side, Jaishankar told Saudi counterparts that India was reviewing evidence of “cross-border” involvement and sought global support against terrorism.
Pakistan, meanwhile, publicly signaled openness to outside mediation.
A foreign office spokesman said Islamabad was “concerned at the loss of tourists’ lives” in the Pahalgam attack and extended condolences to the victims’ families. An official statement added that Pakistan was “ready for any mediation” to ease the standoff.
At the same time, Islamabad demanded an independent, international inquiry into the massacre.
Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told Russia’s RIA Novosti news agency that “Russia or China or even Western countries” could play a “very, very positive role” by forming a fact‑finding team to investigate the incident.
“Let an international team find out,” he said, asking whether New Delhi’s allegations were true.
He added that Sharif had proposed a “neutral and transparent” international investigation into the attack.
Pakistani leaders have also been busy lining up diplomatic support.
Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has been on the phone with several counterparts and on Saturday hosted China’s ambassador in Islamabad.
In that meeting China’s envoy Jiang Zaidong “reaffirmed the all-weather strategic partnership” and pledged to maintain close communication and coordination.
Pakistani officials noted that Beijing – Islamabad’s key ally – has extended “full support” to Pakistan amid the standoff.
Flashpoints
The current crisis is rooted in the long-running Kashmir conflict.
Since the 1947 partition, India and Pakistan have fought multiple wars over the Himalayan region. Both countries claim all of Kashmir, though each administers only part of it.
Muslim-majority Kashmir has seen decades of insurgency against Indian rule; tens of thousands of people have been killed since an uprising began in 1989.
In August 2019, the Modi government revoked Article 370 and scrapped Jammu & Kashmir’s special autonomous status – a step hailed by New Delhi as a “major achievement” but decried in Islamabad as illegal.
Pakistan downgraded diplomatic ties in response and has largely kept previous agreements, such as the 1972 Simla Accord on the ceasefire line, in abeyance.
The humanitarian and legal fallout is also a concern.
Kashmiris on all sides worry that fresh fighting will reverse recent gains: tourism in the Valley had been rebounding before the attack.
India’s steps since Tuesday – including closing the main land border crossing, suspending visas and trade, and ordering Pakistani diplomats and citizens out of India – have been followed by Pakistan’s own retaliatory measures.
Regional standoff
The Modi government has taken an uncompromising line.
In public remarks, the prime minister vowed to “pursue them to the ends of the earth” and said the planners of the Pahalgam attack “will be punished beyond their imagination.”
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah have likewise promised to hunt down the culprits.
Meanwhile, New Delhi abruptly suspended the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty – a World Bank-brokered pact that has governed the distribution of the Indus river system.
Pakistan warned that any attempt to cut off its water share would be considered an “act of war”.
Militarily, both sides are on high alert. Indian army officials reported a small-arms exchange with Pakistani troops on April 25 along the Line of Control, with no casualties.
Pakistan’s military has conducted live-fire exercises in the region and its air force scrambled jets along the border.
Both governments have moved additional troops and fighter patrols to Kashmir.
Analysts warn that the heavy rhetoric and tit‑for‑tat measures – shutting airspace, suspending trade, canceling visas – have pushed the nuclear rivals toward their most dangerous brinkmanship in years.
China looms large
Beijing occupies part of the Kashmir region, Aksai Chin, which India also claims and has its own 2020 border standoff with India.
Chinese officials have condemned the Pahalgam killings and called for restraint, even as they quietly back Pakistan’s position.
During the UN Security Council meeting on the attack, China is reported to have worked with Pakistan to soften the language of the condemnation, omitting any direct reference to India.
Pakistan’s UN representative noted that Islamabad would cooperate with a “neutral and transparent” probe.
