Pakistan’s military ruler is due in Tehran in a bid to revive deadlocked US-Iran ceasefire talks, but with his country facing an increasingly tricky balance.

Once a pariah in Washington, Islamabad has recast itself as a mediator in the Middle East conflict, but is having to manage complex ties: It has sent thousands of soldiers and a squadron of jets to Saudi Arabia, Reuters reported, as part of a mutual defense pact being tested by attacks from Iran, whose materiel Pakistan has recently housed.

“For Pakistan, the best outcome is an end to the Iran war,” a Foreign Policy columnist wrote. “That would … reduce the pressure that it feels as it walks the tightrope between Iran and its Arab rivals.”