Pakistan and Iran discuss efforts to revive negotiations with the US
Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi discussed the regional situation and ways to revive long-stalled direct negotiations with the United States to end a war that has lasted for months.
In the telephone conversation, Munir and Araghchi discussed “regional developments as well as effective ways to strengthen peace, stability, and security in West Asia,” the Iranian government said in a post on X.
The conversation covered regional security challenges and strategies to strengthen stability in the region, according to the Mehr news agency citing the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
As of the time this report was published, the Iranian Foreign Ministry had not provided further details.
The latest contact took place amid a renewed push by mediators Pakistan and Qatar to bring the two warring parties back together after the expiry of a 60-day deadline to reach a final agreement to end the war.
Pakistani government sources told Anadolu that Munir, who is actively involved in the mediation process, is expected to visit Tehran “in the coming days” as part of the latest effort to revive direct negotiations.
However, neither the government nor the Pakistan Army has officially announced the planned visit.
Pakistan has served as the principal mediator between Iran and the US during the war and continues to maintain close contact with both sides.
The US and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding on 17 June and began negotiations towards a final agreement. However, the talks subsequently stalled due to differences over security guarantees and freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s strategic chokepoints for energy supplies and global trade.
From 8 to 24 July, the US and Iran exchanged military strikes. Washington attacked a number of targets in Iran, while Tehran responded by striking US military facilities and equipment in several Arab countries, including Jordan, Bahrain, and Kuwait.