Pakistan hosted in April the only direct talks between US and Iranian officials since the start of the war
Pakistan’s army chief, Asim Munir, arrived in Tehran this Friday (22), at a time when diplomacy surrounding the war in the Middle East is gaining momentum and Iran is evaluating a new peace proposal from the United States. THE Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei warned that Munir’s visitwhose country has acted as a mediator, does not mean that “a turning point or a decisive situation has been reached”.
The Pakistani army said Marshal Asim Munir had “arrived in Tehran as part of mediation efforts”. He was received by Iran’s Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni and Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi. Naqvi visited Iran for the second time in a week on Wednesday (20) and met with President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
Pakistan hosted in April the only direct talks between American and Iranian officials since the start of the war. Munir played a key role in these approaches. However, they did not prosper and, since then, the two parties have exchanged proposals under constant threats of resuming the war.
As Differences between Iran and the United States were “deep and extensive,” added Baqaei in statements reproduced by the Iranian agency ISNA. The American Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, had expressed hope for progress towards the end of the warwhich began on February 28 with the joint attacks by the United States and Israel against Iran.
A ceasefire on April 8 halted hostilities, but negotiations have so far failed to produce a lasting agreement. THE President Donald Trump stated that dialogues are “at the limit” between an agreement and new attacks.
