With talks between Washington and Tehran stuck once again, Islamabad is stepping back into the role of go-between. Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Pakistan's Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff, is due to visit Tehran on Tuesday, Geo News reported, citing Reuters, which in turn quoted a Pakistani official and Iranian media.
Building on summer talks
The visit follows talks Munir held with Iranian leaders over the summer, which focused on preventing further escalation, reopening the Strait of Hormuz and bringing the conflict to a quicker end.
Pakistan has acted as a mediator this year in negotiations aimed at ending the war between Iran and the United States, which began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran in February.
Where the talks are stuck
Efforts to revive the dialogue remain stalled, with the two sides at odds over the terms for resuming negotiations, according to Geo News. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that Tehran's offer to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days was still on the table, but that progress depended on Washington's response to Iran's conditions.
Iran wants the US blockade of its ports lifted, sanctions on its oil exports eased and hostilities ended across regional fronts. Washington wants Iran's nuclear programme dealt with first.
'Peace is not secured in one meeting'
A day before the visit, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi told the Global Security Forum in Doha that peace between the US and Iran would require patience, trust and sustained effort, and could not be secured in a single meeting. He said Pakistan had done everything possible to bring the two sides to the table and had not given up even when tensions rose sharply.
Naqvi also praised Qatar's mediation, saying Islamabad and Doha had worked together to prevent further escalation in the region.
The trip comes as the region contends with another front: in Yemen, forces of the internationally recognised government are fighting Houthi rebels who have been striking Saudi Arabia. The question now is whether the talks in Tehran can put fresh life into a stalled diplomatic track.
Read Geo News's report.