ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir held high-level meetings with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibafin Tehran on Saturday, as Islamabad intensified diplomatic efforts to help defuse tensions between the United States and Iran amid the ongoing regional conflict.
Pakistan has played an active mediatory role since the conflict erupted in late February following joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran. Islamabad has remained in close contact with both Tehran and Washington in an effort to revive stalled negotiations and prevent further escalation. Munir arrived in Tehran on Friday as part of Pakistan’s renewed diplomatic outreach aimed at restarting dialogue between the two sides.
According to Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency, the late-night meeting focused on recent diplomatic initiatives and efforts to stop further escalation and bring an end to what Tehran describes as a war imposed by the United States.
However, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei cautioned that the discussions should not be seen as a breakthrough, saying major disagreements between Tehran and Washington still remain unresolved. He also confirmed that a Qatari delegation met Iranian officials on Friday as part of parallel diplomatic efforts.
Despite weeks of negotiations following the April 8 ceasefire — including rare direct talks hosted by Islamabad — the two sides have yet to reach a lasting settlement or restore normal access to the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, disruption of which has severely impacted global oil supplies and financial markets.
US President Donald Trump said this week that negotiations were at a critical stage, warning they stood on the “borderline” between a possible agreement and renewed military confrontation. The conflict began on February 28 after US-Israeli strikes targeted Iranian positions, leading to escalating tensions and competing blockades around the Strait of Hormuz.
In a separate development, Araghchi told UN Secretary-General António Guterres that Iran remained engaged in diplomacy despite what he described as repeated military aggression, contradictory US positions, and excessive demands from Washington.
Meanwhile, US media outlets reported that the White House was considering possible military strikes against Iran, although no final decision had been taken. American officials have repeatedly warned that failure to secure a diplomatic agreement could trigger renewed action. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there had been “some progress” toward a peaceful solution, but acknowledged that negotiations had not yet reached a decisive stage.
