Key Points
- High-level visit comes amid growing Middle East tensions and fears of wider regional escalation.
- Pakistan brokered ceasefire between the US and Iran on April 8.
- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledges “some good signs” in negotiations with Iran.
- Rubio confirms Pakistani mediation efforts could help advance peace talks.
- President Donald Trump says negotiations with Iran are ongoing through Pakistan’s mediation.
- Trump reiterates US demand that Iran must not acquire nuclear weapons.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Chief of the Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir left for Tehran on Friday as Pakistan intensified its diplomatic efforts to end US-Iran conflict.
During the visit, he is expected to discuss the ongoing US-Iran talks, regional peace and stability, and other key issues with senior Iranian leadership, security sources said.
The high-level visit comes at a critical moment amid growing regional tensions, stalled negotiations, and renewed international pressure to prevent further escalation in the Middle East.
On April 8, Pakistan brokered a ceasefire between the US and Iran and intensified mediation efforts to permanently the conflict through negotiations.
Last month, Pakistan hosted direct talks between the US and Iranian negotiators in Islamabad.
The Islamabad Talks between the US and Iran concluded without reaching a final agreement; however, they paved the way for diplomacy to permanently end the conflict.
It is pertinent to mention that Field Marshal Asim Munir traveled to Tehran in April for high-level discussions with Iranian officials.
Islamabad based security analyst Syed Muhammad Ali told We News English that Field Marshal Sayed Asim Munir’s second Tehran visit since the Iran War started indicates three things. First, Pakistan is the only country which is sustaining this delicate but critical peace process for the past several weeks and Islamabad continues to enjoy trust and confidence of both Trump administration and Iranian leadership despite their mutual distrust.
“Secondly, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who is also in Tehran for the past few days has made enough progress in convincing Iranian leadership to demonstrate greater flexibility for durable peace with the US before Field Marshal Asim decided to again visit Tehran to finalise these with Iranian leadership and convey this progress to Washington.,” he said.
He said thirdly, the recent statements by President Trump and Secretary Marco Rubio, acknowledging Pakistan’s vital role in the painstaking peace process indicates that hopes for successful negotiations are also growing in Washington as well.
Some good signs
Earlier on Thursday US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there were “some good signs” that a possible agreement with Iran could be reached, as mediator Pakistan intensified diplomatic efforts to end the US-Iran conflict through dialogue and diplomacy.
Rubio said Washington remained open to diplomacy with Iran, while warning that other options were available if talks failed.
“I believe the Pakistanis will be travelling to Tehran today. So hopefully that’ll advance this further,” Rubio told reporters.
“The president’s preference is to do a good deal, that’s his preference. It’s always been his preference,” Rubio told reporters.
“There are some good signs, but … I don’t want to be overly optimistic.”
Negotiations with Iran were ongoing
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that negotiations with Iran were ongoing through mediator Pakistan, adding that Washington would secure a deal with Tehran to end the conflict, as Islamabad intensified diplomatic efforts for regional peace.
“I can’t tell you. Right now we’re negotiating, and we’ll see,” Trump told reporters at the White House when asked about possible accommodations in talks with Iran.
“We’re going to get it one way or another; they’re (Iran) not going to have a nuclear weapon,” he added.
Trump reiterated that the United States would not allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon, saying any outcome would ensure Tehran is denied such capability.
