Pakistan’s army chief landed in Tehran to a warm welcome from officials as he tries to help renew talks between the US and Iran after the two sides failed to clinch a peace agreement in Islamabad over the weekend.
Field Marshal Asim Munir and Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, along with a delegation of officials, arrived in Iran’s capital Wednesday “as part of the ongoing mediation efforts,” Pakistan’s military said in a statement. It shared a photograph of Munir, dressed in military gear, being greeted by Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
Both Tehran and Washington expressed their appreciation for Pakistan’s efforts to find a way out of the seven-week conflict that has killed thousands, roiled energy markets and threatened to unleash a wave of global inflation. Iran and the US are currently in a ceasefire that’s due to expire next week.
“Delighted to welcome Field Marshal Munir to Iran,” Araghchi said in a post on the social media platform X, accompanied by a video of the foreign minister embracing the marshal. “Expressed gratitude for Pakistan’s gracious hosting of dialogue, emphasizing that it reflects our deep and great bilateral relationship.”
In Washington, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was equally effusive about Islamabad’s efforts in the US-Iran negotiations.
“The Pakistanis have been incredible mediators and we really appreciate their friendship and efforts to bring this deal to a close,” she said. “The President feels it’s important to continue to streamline this communication through the Pakistanis.”
Munir has been leading mediation efforts by Pakistan, alongside Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, to find a resolution to the crisis. Islamabad hosted negotiators from the US – led by Vice President JD Vance – and Iran on the weekend, although they were unable to reach a deal after marathon talks, largely because of differences over Iran’s nuclear program.
Pakistan has become a central player in helping to de-escalate the conflict. The nuclear-armed nation has leveraged its close ties with Saudi Arabia, Iran, the US and China to provide a communication channel between the warring parties, passing messages between both sides over the past few weeks.
The US and Iran are considering a two-week ceasefire extension to allow more time to negotiate a peace deal, according to a person familiar with the matter, reducing the risk of a resumption of fighting. That’s despite an intensifying standoff over the Strait of Hormuz that connects the Persian Gulf to global markets.
The latest effort by Pakistan isn’t the first time the nation has played the role of intermediary for the US. In July 1971, when then-President Richard Nixon and his National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger were quietly planning a shock rapprochement with China, Kissinger feigned illness on a visit to Pakistan – an American ally in the Cold War – as cover for a secret trip to Beijing.
Pakistan’s role as a mediator in the Iran conflict stems in large part from its increasingly close ties with the Trump administration. Following its brief war with India last May, Pakistan rallied behind Trump’s efforts to broker peace between the two nations, nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize and repeatedly hailing his peacemaking efforts.
Munir has traveled multiple times to Washington in the last year, with Trump dubbing him “my favorite field marshal.”
Besides enhancing its geopolitical clout, Pakistan also has economic reasons to get involved. Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has jammed up energy supplies globally, leaving Pakistan vulnerable given its sizable imports of oil and liquefied natural gas that pass through the waterway.
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