Afpak File: What Do U.S.-Iran Tensions Mean For Pakistan?

With U.S.-Iran relations in serious crisis, Pakistan finds itself in a uniquely vulnerable position. It has significant relationships with Tehran’s U.S. and Saudi rivals. It has a large Shia population that may exceed 30 million. And it shares a border with Iran.

What does the U.S.-Iran confrontation mean for Islamabad, and how does it affect Pakistan’s stated position of neutrality in the Saudi-Iranian rivalry?

This edition of the AfPak File focuses on these questions and more. The guests are Daud Khattak, senior editor for Radio Mashaal at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty; Fatemeh Aman, non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council; Alex Vatanka, senior fellow at the Middle East Institute; and Michael Kugelman, senior associate for South Asia at the Wilson Center. Muhammad Tahir, media manager with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, serves as moderator.

This podcast originally appeared on RFE/RL.