Pakistan and Iran made “significant progress” in talks that focused on the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and a path to peace, Pakistan’s interior minister said on Tuesday, at the end of a visit to Tehran.
Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi held a day-long series of meetings with Iranian leadership on Monday, including President Masoud Pezeshkian, as Islamabad sought to break the stalemate between Washington and Tehran and restore an interim peace agreement it had helped broker in June.
Talks between the two sides focused on measures to prevent further escalation, reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and an expedited end to the conflict, according to a statement from the Pakistani military. The two sides also exchanged views on regional peace and a path to a negotiated settlement.
“Significant progress was made, and the meeting concluded on a highly positive note,” Naqvi said in a post on X. “We remain hopeful that this momentum will help pave the way for further progress and lasting peace in the region.” He said discussions with Pezeshkian centered on the Iran-US conflict, wider Middle East tensions, and the steps needed from both sides to restore the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
Pezeshkian, for his part, said Washington needed to change its posture. Iranian media outlet Tasnim quoted him telling Munir that the United States must correct its tone and approach in dealing with Iran instead of dictating terms and resorting to coercion, warning that US “intimidation” would complicate efforts to implement the MoU.
The MoU was signed by Washington and Tehran on June 17 but faltered after renewed ship seizures and strikes in the Gulf, and expired last week.
The diplomatic push comes at a sensitive moment. Munir spoke with US President Donald Trump ahead of his Tehran visit, according to Reuters. Trump has warned of severe economic penalties, which he called the “greatest financial offensive ever marshalled,” against any country providing a lifeline to Iran, while Tehran has threatened to shut down Gulf oil exports entirely in response.
