Maximalist US and Iran positions fuelling conflict, former Pakistani PM says
Anwaar Ul Haq Kakar, a former prime minister of Pakistan, said maximalist negotiating positions by both the US and Iran have prevented an end to the Middle East conflict. Pakistan brought Iranian and US officials together for the highest-level diplomatic contacts in decades, and in June the two countries agreed in Islamabad on a plan to end the war, but the conflict continued at a lower intensity. Kakar said US withdrawals of diplomatic staff from the region indicate that the US and Israel could be preparing to resume military strikes, and that renewed fighting would hit Pakistan badly economically.
Why it matters: The remarks make conflict escalation the central risk, with geoeconomic spillovers for Pakistan through energy prices and inflation.