By The South Asia Times

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan has invited Iran's parliament speaker and foreign minister for urgent consultations on regional developments, as Tehran reaffirmed Islamabad's role as its primary mediator with the United States amid escalating tensions.

National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq invited Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran's chief negotiator with Washington and speaker of parliament, while Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar extended an invitation to his Iranian counterpart, Seyyed Abbas Araghchi. The invitations were delivered in Tehran late Monday after Dar spoke with Araghchi.

"The invitations were conveyed in Tehran after a telephone conversation between Dar and Araghchi, during which both sides discussed regional and international developments, including the deteriorating situation in Occupied East Jerusalem," the Foreign Office said in a statement.

It remained unclear when the Iranian officials would travel to Pakistan. A diplomatic source said both men had been asked to come "as soon as possible" for discussions on regional and international developments.

The invitations came roughly 36 hours after US President Donald Trump announced he had canceled imminent strikes against Iran, saying allies including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar had urged him to hold off because a deal appeared imminent.

Iran's foreign ministry on Monday insisted that Pakistan remains the main mediator with the United States. Spokesman Esmail Baqaei stated: "The mediator in the discussions related to Iran and the US is Pakistan, and Qatar also helps in cases where necessary. To say that we have added a new mediator to the existing mediators is not, in the strict sense of the word, the case".

Pakistan has been relatively quiet on the mediation front compared with earlier efforts that produced the Islamabad MoU in June—a 14-point ceasefire framework brokered by Islamabad that provided a 60-day window for negotiations on a permanent agreement. However, indirect talks yielded no progress, and the conflict resumed.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump intensified his rhetoric, warning that Iran faced "decapitation" if it did not agree to a pact to end the conflict.

"I think we're going to maybe get something, but I want to give them every last chance before decapitation," Trump told reporters, reiterating his threat to launch a major attack on Iran.

The president accused Iran's leadership of being "unbelievably duplicitous" after Tehran denied that any negotiations were underway with Washington. Trump insisted negotiations were ongoing, describing them as Iran's "last chance to sign a good document".

Trump also declared that the US Navy maintains "complete control" over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital passage for global energy trade. "Nothing gets through to Iran, unless we want it to, and nothing will get through, unless a Deal, or Total Surrender, is accomplished," he said.

Iran has been holding talks with Oman about the future of the strategic waterway. Iranian authorities say they are close to an agreement but have not indicated whether the strait would reopen or remain closed