Pakistan advances peace efforts in Tehran amid rising US-Iran tensions

Field Marshal Asim Munir and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met Eskandar Momeni, Iran's interior minister, in the Iranian capital on Monday to discuss regional peace and ways to end the US-Iran conflict through diplomacy, according to media reports. Pakistan's military described the trip as backing for work toward a durable and wide-ranging end to the Middle East conflict. The talks came as Washington readied tougher economic steps against Iran and nations that keep economic ties with Tehran.

According to IRNA, the talks followed the arrival of the Pakistani delegation and form part of Islamabad's wider push for regional stability. Reuters, quoting people in Pakistan, said US President Donald Trump had spoken with Munir last week, and Washington reportedly asked Pakistan to encourage Tehran to resume negotiations.

Tehran has cautioned that more economic strain might lead it to stop Gulf oil shipments, which has raised worries about energy supply and passage through the Strait of Hormuz. The Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, an interim accord signed on June 18, set a 60-day framework for a wider deal covering the nuclear file and relief from sanctions. Substantive negotiations have not restarted yet, although direct military exchanges have eased in recent weeks.