ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is due to host talks between Iran and the United States in a bid to turn a fragile two-week ceasefire into a lasting end to a war that has roiled global energy markets.

Here are five things to know about the Islamabad talks:

THE WAR BEHIND THE TALKS

On Feb 28, the US and Israel launched deadly coordinated strikes that killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and struck Iran's military and nuclear infrastructure. 

More than 3,000 people were killed in Iran in five weeks, according to Iranian media and US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).

Tehran responded by effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of global oil and gas passes, sending energy prices soaring and disrupting trade worldwide.

On Apr 8, the US and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire brokered by Pakistan. The ceasefire is expected to expire on Apr 22.

PAKISTAN'S UNLIKELY STARRING ROLE

Pakistan's value as a mediator rests on an unusually broad diplomatic network.

Iran was the first country to recognise Pakistan following independence in 1947, with the two neighbours sharing a 900km border and deep historical, cultural and religious ties. 

Pakistan is also home to over 20 million Shia Muslims: the second-largest such population in the world after Iran.

Islamabad has cultivated strong ties with Washington, Riyadh and Beijing.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar visited Beijing at the end of March for talks with Wang Yi, who backed Islamabad's mediation efforts as "in keeping with the common interests of all parties".

Trump himself told AFP that China helped bring Iran to the negotiating table, an account backed by Pakistani officials.

"On ceasefire night, hopes were fading, but China stepped in and convinced Iran to agree to a preliminary ceasefire," a senior Pakistani official familiar with the negotiations told AFP on condition of anonymity.

WHAT'S ON THE TABLE?

The gap between the two sides remains vast.

Washington's reported 15-point proposal centres on Iran's enriched uranium and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. 

Tehra...