Islamabad looking to breathe new life into mediation push

Pakistan is actively seeking to rekindle its mediation role between Iran and the United States, with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi holding talks with top Iranian officials in Tehran. The visit aims to breathe new life into the stalled Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), a framework established in June aimed at de-escalating tensions and facilitating dialogue.

Naqvi met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and President Masoud Pezeshkian to follow up on the MoU. A diplomatic source indicated that the primary goal of Naqvi's visit was to re-energize Pakistan's mediation channel, which has seen Oman take a leading role in recent negotiations concerning navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. The reported progress in Oman-Iran dialogue presents an opportune moment for Islamabad to push for the revival of the broader process initiated by the June agreement.

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Things are shaping up again in favour of a peace arrangement or a deal. The signals over the last three days are that we are close to some sort of an arrangement.

These diplomatic efforts come as Defence Minister Khawaja Asif suggested that the US and Iran are nearing "some sort of an arrangement." Asif told Bloomberg that "signals over the last three days are that we are close to some sort of an arrangement," indicating a potential shift towards a peace deal. Pakistan's proactive engagement aims to ensure its mediation channel remains active, rather than waiting for Iranian leadership to visit Islamabad.

During his meeting with President Pezeshkian, Naqvi emphasized the "strong, long-standing and unbreakable" relationship between Pakistan and Iran, conveying Islamabad's "serious determination and will" to foster comprehensive ties. President Pezeshkian acknowledged that the bilateral relations serve the national interests of both countries and contribute to regional stability and security. This emphasis on bilateral ties follows Pakistan's recent trilateral defense agreement with Saudi Arabia and Turkiye, which Islamabad maintains is defensive in nature.

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strong, long-standing and unbreakable