Pakistan’s army chief meets with Iranian parliament speaker amid push to revive US-Iran talks

Pakistani Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir met Monday with Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf in Tehran as Islamabad pushes to revive stalled direct talks between Iran and the US. The meeting came during Munir’s ongoing visit to Tehran, where he is discussing new proposals with Iranian officials following fresh contacts with Washington, multiple Pakistani government sources told Anadolu. According to Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB, Qalibaf told Munir that Washington had repeatedly failed to honor its commitments under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding. “The commitments of the parties under the memorandum of understanding are clear, and it was the US that, by failing to honor its commitments, prevented stability from being established in the region and provided another reason for distrust toward it,” Qalibaf was quoted as saying. Qalibaf, who is also heading Iran’s negotiating team, rejected the prospect of Tehran yielding to pressure and said Iran was pursuing the implementation of the memorandum’s terms. Munir said he would continue his efforts to restore stability in the region, according to the broadcaster. He arrived in Tehran earlier Monday along with Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and began his visit with a meeting with Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni. Munir “will focus on promoting efforts towards a peaceful, lasting and comprehensive resolution of the conflict in the Middle East," the Pakistan army said in a brief statement issued earlier. The trip is “part of Pakistan’s efforts to promote regional peace and stability,” it added. Naqvi, for his part, said they had a "very positive and productive" meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. "Our discussion focused on the Iran-US conflict, tensions in the Middle East and the way forward, as well as the steps needed by both sides for restoration of the Islamabad MoU thereby leading to comprehensive settlement of the conflict," he said on the US social media platform X. Naqvi said Pezeshkian had openly presented his government’s perspective and concerns, describing the exchange as "very constructive." "Significant progress was made, and the meeting concluded on a highly positive note. We remain hopeful that this momentum will help pave the way for further progress and lasting peace in the region," he added. On Sunday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei announced that Munir was going to visit Tehran to discuss bilateral ties as well as regional peace efforts with high-ranking Iranian officials. Pakistan has remained the main mediator between Iran and the US throughout the war that began on Feb. 28 and has maintained close contact with both sides. The US and Iran signed the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding on June 17 and launched negotiations toward a final agreement. However, the talks later stalled over disagreements on security guarantees and freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most strategic routes for global energy supplies and trade. Between July 8 and July 24, the US and Iran exchanged military strikes, with Washington launching attacks on targets inside Iran and Tehran responding by striking US military facilities and equipment in several Arab countries including Jordan, Bahrain and Kuwait. After securing a ceasefire on April 8, Pakistan hosted the highest-level direct talks between the US and Iran since they broke diplomatic ties in 1979. The talks, held in Islamabad on April 11-12, ended inconclusively. Since the US and Israel launched the war on Iran on Feb. 28, more than 3,500 people, both civilians and soldiers, have been killed in Iran. Iran has hit US bases and assets in the Middle East and the Pentagon has confirmed 18 deaths besides 756 injuries to its personnel during the war.