Pakistan, April 11 -- As things stand, US Vice President JD Vance will lead the American delegation in Islamabad as talks with Iran get underway. Talks that would not exist without Pakistan. Today, Islamabad carries an air of calm control as security was tightened for historic talks while inside guarded rooms, it has already done what others could not, drawing Washington and Tehran back from the brink at a moment when the language of annihilation had begun to sound routine.

This was not a fluke, nor a lucky break, nor the result of last-minute theatrics. Pakistan read the moment early, moved with restraint, and kept its lines open when others were busy choosing sides. It spoke to both camps without grandstanding, absorbed pressure withou...