US-Iran Peace Talks: Is Pakistan Secretly Being Squeezed Out by Israel?

As Pakistan pushes for diplomacy between the US and Iran, growing pressure from pro-Israel circles threatens to derail the peace process and weaken Islamabad’s influence. Behind the scenes, lobbying, political maneuvering, and regional rivalries are intensifying tensions at a critical moment. What should have been a path toward de-escalation is rapidly turning into a wider geopolitical power struggle.

Aleena Im

With the ongoing US-Iran negotiations heading in a positive direction, the Israeli lobby has started its efforts to not only derail the peace talks but also to sabotage the mediatory role of Pakistan. Acting as a neutral mediator, Pakistan hosted the Islamabad Accords to bring both warring parties to the table. Although no permanent solution has been reached yet, the peace negotiations are still ongoing. This progression is not bearable to Israel, who, from the very first day, wanted a heavy offense against Iran and its regional allies. Pakistan’s close relations with the Iranian regime, in particular the IRGC, and its growing bromance with the Trump administration have raised alarms in Israeli strategic circles. From Kahuta to Iran, Israel has always been critical of Pakistan and its nuclear assets. Any progression towards peace causes irritation to the actor who benefits from perpetual regional confrontation.

Escalation Over Rapprochement

“A state of war only serves as an excuse for domestic tyranny” (Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn)

 Now that Pakistan is trying to end this global catastrophe, it is in the line of Israel’s fire

Here, a question arises: Why does Israel want war when the situation can be controlled through negotiations? The answer lies in the fact that Israel’s foreign policy is based on threat creation. Simply put, Israel wants an enemy to fund its war industry and maintain a controlled domestic environment. Having been suppressed and homeless for thousands of years, Israelis now view international relations through the lens of war, offense, and deception. Their strategic thinking prioritizes military actions over diplomacy, offense over defense, and discord over compromise.

In a recent interview with 60 Minutes, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu blatantly stated, “We will go, in one way or the other, in Iran and take out the nuclear material.” This stubborn attitude is not confined to the personality of Netanyahu; rather, it has become a defining trait of Israeli strategic circles. Moreover, Pakistan, since the day it gained independence, has been critical of Israel and does not recognize it, and is now mediating the US-Iran negotiations, and to be honest, Israelis are offended by this. Whether the Trump administration favors Pakistan or not, Israel is determined to undermine the peace talks and sideline Pakistan.

AIPAC in Action

It’s often said that it’s not the Americans who run the US, but Israel that formulates and executes the US foreign policy. The American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is the primary Israeli lobby, which has been proactive in the US since its inception. At this critical time, it’s once again playing its part. Since Israel does not want Pakistan in a favourable position, overt efforts have been started to somehow sideline Pakistan. The first most prominent instance occurred when Republican Senator Lindsey Graham recently trolled General Caine and Pete Hegseth during a Senate hearing in the US. “I do not trust Pakistan as much as I can throw them,” said Graham. Please note that Lindsey Graham is one of the hawks and pro-Israel figures of the Trump administration. As President Trump has consistently praised Pakistan, it shows how deeply entrenched the Israel lobby is within the US policy circles. His latest explosive tweet on May 27^th reads, “It has been apparent to me for quite a while that Pakistan as a mediator is more than problematic. Their animosity towards Israel is long standing. It is undeniable that Iranian military aircraft are being housed on Pakistani air bases, and past rhetoric from the highest Pakistani officials against Israel is disturbing. As to the defense minister’s comments about the Abraham Accords, saying that Pakistan would never join because they don’t trust Israel: The clip may be a year old, but I fear the sentiment is fresh. In that regard, it is imperative that Pakistan give an answer now to President Trump’s call to join the Abraham Accords”. The question is, what does Pakistan’s well-placed mistrust of Israel have to do with stopping the US-Iran War? And why should Pakistan sign the Abraham Accords with an apartheid state that is openly hostile towards Pakistan and Muslims?

Second, another significant event occurred, which could once again destabilize Pakistan internally. Drop Site, an American news site, recently leaked a ‘cypher’ related to the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, and exposed the US involvement in the coup against him. The nature and timing of this exposition reveal that some parties in the US are trying to indulge Pakistan once again in domestic turmoil. The symptoms have started appearing, with the supporters of Imran Khan calling for nationwide protests.

Third is the message shared by President Donald Trump on his Truth Social account, mentioning that he has once again given a chance to diplomacy with Iran, at the request of Gulf allies, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, etc. What is important to note is that President Trump has always mentioned Pakistan in his tweets regarding US-Iran negotiations. But in this, there was no mention of Pakistan a single time. Has Trump once again come under the influence of the Israeli lobby? Time will tell, and soon.

Constraints of US Foreign Policy

The influence of the Israeli lobby, internal political fissures, and election pressure have all contributed to the inconsistencies in the US foreign policy posture. As midterm elections are coming closer, President Donald Trump is trying his utmost (apparently) to give a chance to diplomacy. As of 19 May 2026, Netanyahu had made it clear to Trump that he felt that postponing the expected attacks was a bad idea and that the president should go ahead with the plan. On the other hand, officials of the Trump administration also held different views over the Iran war. There is an obvious power struggle inside the US.

There is a race to lead the Republican Party since Trump has caused fractures in the Trump 2.0 administration. This is the only reason why the negotiations are not heading forward in a clear way, whereby if Iran is showing a positive outlook, the Americans are confused and divided. The Iran War not only revealed the vulnerability of the said superpower strategically but also brought forth the political conflict within the domestic arenas of the US itself. The one that has always strived to cause trouble globally is now receiving a taste of its own medicine.

Conclusion

One thing is quite clear: peace is bearable to neither the Israelis nor the Americans. They both want some self-created external threat narratives to maintain their domestic political authority and fuel their war industries. From post-9/11 to the Iran War, the goals of the successive US administrations have been the same. Now that Pakistan is trying to end this global catastrophe, it is in the line of Israel’s fire. Pakistan’s close relations with the Trump administration and the Gulf countries and a long 900 km border with Iran have prompted it to play a central role in the negotiations. But this opportunity has come up with a serious challenge — Israel, which has ramped up its tactics to undermine Pakistan’s efforts and create a deadlock to pursue its offensive aims against Iran.

Aleena Im is an independent researcher and writer and is interested in international relations and current affairs