Pakistan’s relationships with the US and Iran put it in a strong position to intervene – not to mention a need to stabilise its borders and protect its own economy.
巴基斯坦与美国和伊朗的关系使其处于一个介入的有利地位，更不用说稳定其边境和保护自身经济的需要了。
Pakistan has emerged as a central diplomatic broker in the conflict between the US and Iran. When announcing a pause to the US operation to guide stranded vessels through the Strait of Hormuz on May 6, Donald Trump said he had made the decision “based on the request of Pakistan”.
巴基斯坦已成为美国和伊朗冲突中的核心外交调解人。5月6日，唐纳德·特朗普宣布暂停美国在霍尔木兹海峡引导搁浅船只的行动，称此决定是“根据巴基斯坦的要求”做出的。
The Pakistani prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, subsequently expressed hope “that the current momentum will lead to a lasting agreement that secures durable peace and stability for the region and beyond”. This latest intervention comes a month after Pakistan secured its biggest diplomatic win in years by brokering a ceasefire in Iran.
巴基斯坦总理谢赫巴兹·谢里夫随后表示，他希望“当前的势头能促成一项持久协议，为该地区乃至更广阔的区域带来持久的和平与稳定”。此次最新介入，是在巴基斯坦斡旋伊朗停火并取得多年来最大外交胜利一个月之后。
But how did Pakistan emerge as the most trustworthy mediator in this conflict, and what drove Islamabad to involve itself? Pakistan’s biggest advantage is that it enjoys relationships with both the US and Iran, which has helped it be seen as a neutral party by each side.
但巴基斯坦是如何成为这场冲突中最值得信赖的调解人的？是什么促使伊斯兰堡介入此事？巴基斯坦最大的优势在于它与美国和伊朗都保持着关系，这使其在双方眼中都被视为中立方。
Pakistan has worked with the US in dealing with Iran for decades. Since 1981, two years after the US and Iran severed diplomatic ties following the Islamic revolution, a dedicated section of the Pakistani embassy in Washington has handled Iranian diplomatic affairs in the US.
巴基斯坦几十年来一直与美国在处理伊朗问题上合作。自1981年——美国和伊朗在伊斯兰革命后断绝外交关系两年后，巴基斯坦驻华盛顿大使馆的一个专门部门一直负责处理美国境内的伊朗外交事务。
Pakistan has also worked with the US in mediation efforts elsewhere. Most notably, it facilitated former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger’s secret visit to China in 1971. This paved the way for the normalisation of relations between the US and China later that decade.
巴基斯坦也曾在其他地方与美国进行过调解努力。最著名的是，它于1971年促成了前美国国务卿亨利·基辛格秘密访问中国。这为该国后期与美国关系的正常化铺平了道路。
Relations between the US and Pakistan have not always been smooth. In 2011, a decade after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Atlantic magazine in the US referred to Pakistan as the “ally from hell”. Whether or not it did so knowingly, Pakistan hosted al-Qaeda mastermind Osama bin Laden following the attack.
美国和巴基斯坦之间的关系并非一直顺利。2011年，在“9·11”恐怖袭击事件十年后，《大西洋月刊》将巴基斯坦称为“地狱盟友”。无论是否知情，巴基斯坦在袭击事件后曾接纳了基地组织主谋奥萨马·本·拉丹。
Trump himself also denied Pakistan military aid during his first term as president, saying it was not doing enough to combat terrorism. And Pakistan’s human rights record, particularly concerning democratic backsliding and restrictions on civil liberties, have at times led to tension with the US government.
特朗普本人也曾在其第一任总统期间否认巴基斯坦的军事援助，称其在打击恐怖主义方面做得不够。此外，巴基斯坦的人权记录，特别是在民主倒退和限制公民自由方面，也曾多次导致与美国政府产生紧张关系。
However, Pakistan’s relationship with the US has improved markedly in Trump’s second term. Trump, who often uses personal ties to guide US foreign policy, has developed a strong relationship with Sharif and the chief of Pakistan’s army, Asim Munir. In June 2025, Munir was even invited to the White House for a private lunch. This was the first time a US president had hosted a non-head of state military leader at this level.
然而，巴基斯坦与美国的关系在特朗普的第二任期内有了显著改善。特朗普经常利用私人关系来指导美国外交政策，他与谢里夫和巴基斯坦军队总司令阿西姆·穆尼尔发展了牢固的关系。2025年6月，穆尼尔甚至受邀到白宫参加私人午餐会。这是美国总统首次在如此高层级接待非国家元首的军事领导人。
Pakistan’s recent efforts to court Trump have played a key role in building these ties. Over the past year Pakistan has nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, joined his Board of Peace and launched a collaboration with his World Liberty Financial crypto platform.
巴基斯坦近期努力拉拢特朗普，在建立这些关系中发挥了关键作用。在过去一年中，巴基斯坦曾提名特朗普获得诺贝尔和平奖，加入了其和平委员会，并与他的“世界自由金融”加密平台开展了合作。
And in July, Islamabad signed a deal with the US to allow Washington to help develop Pakistan’s largely untapped oil reserves. “We read him [Trump] right,” said the former chairman of the Pakistani Senate’s Defense Committee, Mushahid Hussain Syed, in an interview with the Washington Post on April 20.
今年7月，伊斯兰堡与美国签署了一项协议，允许华盛顿帮助开发巴基斯坦大部分尚未开发的油气储量。“我们看透了[特朗普]”，巴基斯坦参议院国防委员会前主席穆沙希德·侯赛因·赛义德在4月20日接受《华盛顿邮报》采访时说。
The relationship between Pakistan and Iran has also been characterised by ups and downs. While Iran was the first country to recognise Pakistan’s independence in 1947, their relationship has often been fraught with tension. This largely stems from Iran’s territorial claim to the Balochistan province of Pakistan, as well as from Pakistan’s ties with Iranian rivals.
巴基斯坦和伊朗之间的关系也经历了起起伏伏。虽然伊朗是第一个在1947年承认巴基斯坦独立的国家，但两国关系往往充满紧张局势。这主要源于伊朗对巴基斯坦俾路支省的领土主张，以及巴基斯坦与伊朗对手之间的联系。
As recently as January 2024, tensions between the two countries appeared to be escalating again over Balochistan. However, hostilities soon receded and both countries formally resumed their bilateral ties. They subsequently expanded their security cooperation and invited each other’s ambassadors and foreign ministers for a formal reconciliation ceremony.
最近在2024年1月，两国在俾路支省问题上的紧张局势似乎再次升级。然而，敌对行动很快消退，两国正式恢复了双边关系。随后，它们扩大了安全合作，并邀请对方的大使和外长举行了正式的和解仪式。
Strategic necessity
战略必要性
Some commentators argue that Pakistan’s decision to step in as the primary mediator in Iran has been driven by strategic necessity. Its Balochistan province is currently grappling with an insurgency. Islamabad will thus want to avoid a situation where the Iran war spills into Pakistan, as this could destabilise its border regions even further.
一些评论员认为，巴基斯坦决定在伊朗担任主要调解人，是出于战略必要性。其俾路支省目前正面临叛乱。因此，伊斯兰堡希望避免伊朗战事蔓延到巴基斯坦，因为这可能会进一步动摇其边境地区。
There are also economic reasons explaining Pakistan’s involvement. Pakistan has been severely affected by the disruption to Gulf shipping. It imports between 85% and 90% of its crude oil from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and almost 99% of its liquified gas from the UAE and Qatar.
解释巴基斯坦参与的还有经济原因。巴基斯坦受到海湾航运中断的严重影响。它从沙特阿拉伯和阿拉伯联合酋长国（阿联酋）进口85%至90%的原油，以及近99%的液化天然气来自阿联酋和卡塔尔。
Before the war broke out, Pakistan’s economy had been starting to gain momentum. But higher oil prices are now affecting government revenues, increasing its fuel import bill from US$300 million (£220 million) before the conflict to US$800 million now. Pakistan’s authorities have been forced to raise consumer fuel prices by more than 50%.
战争爆发前，巴基斯坦的经济开始获得动力。但油价上涨现在影响了政府收入，导致其燃料进口账单从冲突前的3亿美元（2.2亿英镑）增加到现在的8亿美元。巴基斯坦当局被迫将消费燃料价格提高了50%以上。
Pakistan’s agricultural sector, which employs around 40% of the country’s population, is also vulnerable to the conflict due to its reliance on fertiliser imported through the Strait of Hormuz. Prices of urea fertiliser have surged by 50% since the war broke out. Prolonged disruption to the agriculture sector risks plunging some of the most vulnerable people in Pakistan further into poverty.
巴基斯坦的农业部门雇佣了全国约40%的人口，由于其对通过霍尔木兹海峡进口的化肥的依赖，也容易受到冲突的影响。自战争爆发以来，尿素化肥的价格已飙升了50%。农业部门长期中断，可能会使巴基斯坦一些最脆弱的人群进一步陷入贫困。
Remittances are another area that could be affected by a protracted conflict, with as many as five million Pakistani people living in the Gulf region. Pakistan received roughly US$30 billion in remittances between 2025 and 2026, 54% of which came from the Gulf.
汇款是另一个可能受到长期冲突影响的领域，有高达五百万巴基斯坦人在海湾地区生活。巴基斯坦在2025年至2026年间收到了约300亿美元的汇款，其中54%来自海湾地区。
If the war continues to affect Gulf economies, many Pakistani workers may be forced to return home. This will cause remittance revenues to fall, depriving Pakistan of a vital source of foreign exchange, while simultaneously pushing up domestic unemployment.
如果战争继续影响海湾经济，许多巴基斯坦工人可能被迫返回家乡。这将导致汇款收入下降，使巴基斯坦失去一个重要的外汇来源，同时也会推高国内失业率。
Pakistan’s relationships with the US and Iran put it in a strong position to intervene in the conflict diplomatically. But its mediation has also been a calculated effort to stabilise its borders and protect its economy.
巴基斯坦与美国和伊朗的关系使其在外交上处于干预冲突的有利地位。但其调解行为也是一项旨在稳定边境和保护经济的深思熟虑的努力。
Natasha Lindstaedt does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
娜塔莎·林德斯泰特（Natasha Lindstaedt）不为任何受益于本文的公司或组织工作、提供咨询、持有股份或接受资金，并且除了其学术任命外，未披露任何相关关系。
