Iran23 June, 20262 min read
Masoud Pezeshkian Meets Pakistan’s Asif Ali Zardari And Asim Munir In Islamabad
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Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian held high-level meetings with Pakistan's civilian and military leadership in Islamabad. He met Pakistan Army Chief Gen. Asim Munir to discuss expanded bilateral security cooperation.
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Pezeshkian in Islamabad
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in Islamabad for a state visit on Tuesday and met Pakistan’s top civilian and military leadership to discuss bilateral ties and the Iran-US understanding. During the day-long visit, Pezeshkian met President Asif Ali Zardari and separately met Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, with the talks framed around regional developments and peace efforts involving the US. The visit followed Iran and the US talks in Switzerland under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, signed on Thursday, with the two sides saying the talks ended with a roadmap to reach a final deal in 60 days.
“The agreement was followed by talks in Switzerland, where both sides agreed on a roadmap aimed at reaching a final deal within 60 days.”
In a post on X, Pezeshkian said, "the effectiveness of the talks depends on full commitment to the agreed obligations and their precise implementation." The Iranian president also said the visit "aims to secure full implementation of the memorandum under international law," as Pakistan’s government tightened security in Islamabad and closed bus terminals while the Red Zone was shut.
Army chief and delegation
Pakistan’s Army Chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir met Pezeshkian in Islamabad, with General Asim Malik accompanying Munir as Pakistan’s National Security Adviser and Director-General of military intelligence. The meeting also included Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Iranian Ambassador to Islamabad Reza Amiri-Moghaddam, according to IRNA English, as the two sides reviewed political, security and defense cooperation. IRNA English said Pezeshkian was officially welcomed at Nur Khan Airbase by President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, with Pakistani Air Force fighter jets flying by the landing site to salute the visiting delegation.
WANA News Agency reported that as part of the official reception, a 21-gun salute was fired in honor of the high-level Iranian delegation. An Anadolu Ajansı report said the meeting emphasized expanding bilateral coordination, particularly in the security field, and described Munir as stressing stronger cooperation and regional security in Islamabad.
Roadmap, leverage, and next steps
Al Jazeera said Pezeshkian’s trip to Islamabad came after Pakistan and Qatar announced that the first round of high-level US-Iran talks in Burgenstock, Switzerland yielded a 60-day roadmap towards a final deal. Al Jazeera quoted Reza Khanzadeh, a Middle East analyst and professor at George Mason University, saying, "He needs this visit more than Pakistan does." The Anadolu Ajansı report linked the visit to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding as a Pakistan-mediated framework aimed at ending the war and addressing outstanding disputes through negotiations.
“‘The most important thing was the mediator’s credibility.”
In a separate account, اندبندنت عربية described Pakistan’s leverage in the mediation as strengthened by the personal influence of Army Chief Asim Munir and said the mediator’s credibility helped fit the bill because it enjoyed trust of both Iran and the United States. The same اندبندنت عربية piece said Pakistan faces once again the possibility of war in a country at its border near southern Balochistan, while also seeking international backing in disputes with Afghanistan and India.