Why Pakistan is key in the US-Israel war on Iran
The Take
Al Jazeera
4.7 • 748 Ratings
🗓️ 7 April 2026
⏱️ 20 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
As Pakistan tries to mediate between the United States and Iran, another conflict is growing closer to home. What gives Pakistan leverage in the Iran crisis, and with violence is rising on the Afghan border, how long can it balance playing mediator in one conflict while being pulled deeper into another?
In this episode:
- Osama Bin Javaid (@osamabinjavaid) , Al Jazeera correspondent
Episode credits:
This episode was produced by David Enders, Sarí el-Khalili, Chloe K. Li with Catherine Nouhan, Tuleen Barakat and our host, Kevin Hirten. It was edited by Alexandra Locke.
Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Al Jazeera Podcasts. |
| 0:07.0 | Today, Pakistan walks a fine line between diplomacy and escalating conflict. |
| 0:17.0 | Pakistan is positioning itself as a key mediator between the U.S. and Iran. |
| 0:22.6 | Islamabad accusing Kabul of harboring militants behind cross-border attacks, claims which the Taliban government denies. |
| 0:30.6 | As Pakistan plays mediator in the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, we look at another conflict that appears to be escalating. |
| 0:42.0 | I'm Kevin Horton, and this is The Take. |
| 0:48.2 | Hi, before we continue with today's show, remember to leave us a comment telling us what you think about this episode. |
| 0:59.0 | Do you think that this war has any chance of ending soon? What do you think about the conflict going on in Afghanistan and Pakistan? |
| 1:06.1 | And let us know what stories you want us to do next. And remember, if you're on your favorite podcast app, |
| 1:11.0 | leave us a review and a five-star rating, |
| 1:13.3 | it really does help the show. |
| 1:17.9 | I'm Osama Mijavi. |
| 1:19.0 | I'm a senior correspondent for Al Jazeera English, |
| 1:21.2 | and I'm coming to you from the newsroom. |
| 1:24.1 | Yes, Osama, you just came off the set doing a live shot. |
| 1:30.2 | Can you just start us off by talking about what it's like covering this war? I mean, trying to keep up with everything |
| 1:34.2 | that's happening. I can't be the only one who's struggling with this. It is extraordinary. The |
| 1:39.8 | flurry of information is just nonstop. you've got misinformation coming to you from all |
| 1:45.7 | sides and you really have to verify the facts and put the correct information on air. |
| 1:51.0 | I've been following this. |
| 1:52.1 | I was in Geneva 1. |
| 1:53.3 | I was in Geneva 2. |
... |
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