Iran ready for talks if Israel halts attacks, says Ishaq Dar

• Dar says still time to stop Israel and bring Iran back to talks.
• Warns against the dangers of misinformation and propaganda.
• Refutes reports claiming Pakistan to launch nuclear strike if Israel did.

ISLAMABAD: As the conflict between Tehran and Tel Aviv enters its fourth day, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Monday that Iran was willing to return to the negotiation table if Israel refrains from further strikes, citing direct communication with his Iranian counterpart after the initial exchange of hostilities.

“Iran’s Foreign Minister [Abbas Araghchi] told me that if Israel does not carry out another attack, they are prepared to return to the negotiating table,” Dar said while speaking on the Senate floor.

“We conveyed this message to other countries [...] there is still time to stop Israel and bring Iran back to talks,” he added.

Since Friday, Israel has launched large-scale strikes on Iran, targeting military bases, nuclear sites and residential areas across the country.

The attacks have killed at least 224 people in the Islamic Republic, including top military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians.

Iran has retaliated with barrages of drones and missiles that have killed at least 24 people in Israel, according to the latest figures from the prime minister's office.

Iran does not recognise Israel and has long accused it of carrying out sabotage operations against its nuclear facilities, as well as assassinating its scientists.

Speaking on the floor of the upper house, Dar said that Pakistan has played a constructive role in supporting diplomatic channels, adding: “Our intention was always to see successful negotiations between the United States and Iran."

He noted that the foreign ministers of both Oman and Iran had been in regular contact with him throughout the crisis. “I spoke to Iran’s foreign minister both before and after the Israeli attack,” he noted.

Dar added that the Iranian foreign minister made it clear after the first attack that “this act will be responded to.”

The deputy prime minister also warned against the dangers of misinformation and propaganda, calling the current situation extremely delicate. “This is not child’s play — a serious conflict is underway,” he stressed. “Everyone must act responsibly in such times. We cannot afford to be reckless.”

Dar strongly condemned the spread of fake news since June 13, including doctored video clips involving US President Donald Trump and outdated interviews being shared as current developments.

“Misinformation is being widely circulated — we must exercise caution,” he urged, referencing a clip of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s 2011 interview being wrongly portrayed as recent.

He also refuted claims circulating on social media suggesting that Pakistan would launch a nuclear strike if Israel did so first.

Calling the viral statement “highly irresponsible and entirely false,” Dar said: “This is completely baseless. We declared in 1998 that our nuclear weapons are solely for our own defence and protection.”

He noted that Pakistan's nuclear doctrine was solely for its own protection, aimed at maintaining peace in the region. “Our nuclear capability is essential for regional stability,” he said.

Dar also reminded that Pakistan never signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), reiterating the country's independent nuclear posture. He further said that any attack on nuclear installations is a “serious crime under international law.”

Speaking about the repatriation of Pakistani nationals from Iran, he said that the Foreign Office had activated a crisis unit and was closely monitoring the situation.