ISLAMABAD: Pakistan army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir arrived in Iran on Friday for talks expected to focus on the US-Iran conflict and regional peace efforts, as Islamabad intensified its diplomatic engagement aimed at ending months of tensions between Tehran and Washington.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army chief was “received and warmly welcomed” by Iran’s Minister for Interior Eskandar Momeni.
Pakistan’s Minister for Interior, Mohsin Naqvi was also present at the reception.
Iran’s state news agency IRNA earlier cited a diplomatic source in Islamabad as saying Munir had departed for Tehran and was expected to meet senior Iranian officials during the visit.
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.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio commented about CDF Munir’s visit to Tehran, saying that the US was in “constant communication with him [and] the highest levels of our government are constantly talking to him”.
He also lauded Pakistan for doing an “admirable job” trying to mediate a peace deal between Washington and Tehran.
“The primary interlocutor on this has been Pakistan and continues to be and they’ve done a, you know, I think an admirable job. And that’s what we continue to work through,” Fox News quoted Rubio as saying.
A Qatari negotiating team also arrived in Tehran on Friday in coordination with US to help secure a deal to end the war and resolve outstanding issues, a source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Friday.
Doha, which has worked as a mediator in the Gaza war and other areas international tensions, had until now distanced itself from playing a mediation role in the Iran war after it came under attack from Iranian missiles and drones during the latest conflict.
Also read:OGRA raises LNG prices by up to 28pc for Sui Northern and Sui Southern consumers
