Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif to visit Saudi Arabia after US-Iran talks fail; focus on defense, economy

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is set to visit Saudi Arabia within the next 48 hours after receiving an invitation from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Geo News reported on Monday. The trip comes at a time when a ceasefire, which began on Tuesday, is in place after six weeks of fighting that killed thousands, disrupted energy supplies, and raised fears of a wider regional conflict. Although Iran has halted attacks on US sites in Gulf nations, tensions remain high.Days before the planned visit, talks in Islamabad ran from Saturday into early Sunday but ended without a formal agreement despite lasting 21 hours. Following the discussions, the US military announced it would begin a blockade of all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports and coastal areas, putting the fragile two-week ceasefire at risk.During his visit to Riyadh, Sharif is expected to hold consultations on key regional and international developments. Financial cooperation is also likely to be a major focus, particularly after Riyadh and Doha announced $5 billion in assistance for Pakistan.Shehbaz Sharif will be accompanied by Chief of Defence Forces Asim Munir, deputy prime minister and foreign minister Ishaq Dar and special assistant Syed Tariq Fatemi. Finance imnister Muhammad Aurangzeb is also expected to join the delegation, subject to the completion of his ongoing visit to the United States.In parallel, Pakistan has sent fighter jets and other military forces to Saudi Arabia to strengthen security under a defence pact between the two countries. The agreement, signed in September 2025, commits both sides to treat any aggression against either country as an attack on both, deepening their long-standing security partnership.