Pakistan’s US-Iranian Mediation Services Were Just A Bid To Get A Multibillion-Dollar Bailout

Andrew Korybko 

 

 

Exactly as many suspected, its mediation wasn’t a selfless diplomatic service regional peace, after all.

Reuters reported that “Pakistan seeks $10 billion fund from US after mediating Iran talks”, which presented its US-Iranian mediation services as nothing but a bid to get a bailout. Up till this point, Pakistan and its media surrogates touted the aforesaid services as supposed proof of the country’s geostrategic importance, even going as far as claiming that they herald an era of global importance for it. Those narratives were now revealed to have been a combination of wishful thinking and propaganda.

While Pakistan’s location is indeed strategic since it could serve as the “Zipper of Eurasian Pan-Eurasian Integration”, this potential function isn’t advanced by mediating between the US and Iran, nor is the way in which it was conceived as a catalyst of regional multipolar processes in alignment with US interests. The only integrationist role that the US wants for Pakistan is that which expands Western influence in the region, such as facilitating the flow of arms and terrorists into Afghanistan, at Russia’s expense.

The country’s pro-US de facto military dictatorship, which was installed after April 2022’s post-modern coup against former multipolar Prime Minister Imran Khan, is more than happy to oblige, especially since its respective interests in Afghanistan now dovetail with the US’. Trump has talked about returning US troops to Bagram Airbase, but the Taliban with which Pakistan has been unofficially warring for nearly half a year already refuses, ergo its pro-US de facto military dictatorship’s interests in destabilizing it.

Having explained the half-truth connected with the earlier-mentioned narrative about Pakistan’s geostrategic importance, it’s now time to discuss its leadership’s mercantilist mindset. The Intercept reported in 2023 that Pakistan secretly agreed to arm Ukraine, back when the West’s military-industrial complex was only just beginning to ramp up production, in exchange for help in securing a $6 billion IMF bailout. The precedent therefore exists for it to do a diplomatic favor for the US for a direct bailout.

It was explained here how the Pakistani-mediated MoU will gradually return Iran to the US-led Western order within certain limits, which would have likely sufficed for the US then rewarding Pakistan with a $10 billion bailout, but the resumption of hostilities might lead to the US reconsidering this quid pro quo. Pakistan would then have to either bring Iran back to the table, join the hostilities on the US’ side (it’s a “Major Non-NATO Ally” after all and in a mutual defense pact with Saudi Arabia), or do a different favor.

Expanding on the last point, that could very well include facilitating the flow of more arms and terrorists into Afghanistan, which could then destabilize Central Asia and cause problems for Russia. If asked to do so, there’s no doubt that Pakistan would comply, since its pro-US de facto military dictatorship has returned their country to its historical role as America’s regional proxy. It’s accordingly inconceivable that they’d reject any American request regarding Russia. Pakistan is also desperate for another bailout too.

Iran and Russia should therefore be on guard since Pakistan is expected to soon do its US patron another favor at their expense that it’ll either respectively disguise as a selfless diplomatic service for regional peace or deny any accusations of aiding ISIS-K in Afghanistan if the Kremlin ever makes them. The bottom line is that today’s Pakistan is once again America’s regional proxy that shouldn’t be trusted by multipolar leaders like Iran and Russia. Its pro-US de facto military dictatorship will always do its bidding.