Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, is in Iran as part of ongoing mediation efforts to end the war launched by the US and Israeli regimes on February 28.
Munir arrived in Tehran on Friday, Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported, citing the Pakistan Army. “On arrival, he was received and warmly welcomed by Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni,” IRNA said, adding that “Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi was also present at the reception.”
It is the second such trip to Tehran by Munir amid Pakistani mediation efforts to end the war. Islamabad helped secure a temporary ceasefire between the warring sides on April 8, and later hosted the highest-level talks between the US and Iranian regimes since 1979 on April 11-12.
During this visit to Iran, unnamed Pakistani sources told the Anadolu news agency that Munir will discuss Iran-US talks, regional peace and stability, and other “important issues”. Islamabad has intensified its mediation process to secure a second round of direct talks between the two sides.
“The current process and the presence of senior Pakistani officials in Tehran means that we have reached a turning point or a decisive situation,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Friday. Iranian state media quoted Baghaei as saying the gaps between Tehran and Washington are “deep and significant”.
“We cannot necessarily say that we have reached a point where an agreement is close,” he said. “The focus of the negotiations is on ending the war. Details related to the nuclear issue are not being discussed at this stage.”
Speaking at the White House on Friday, US regime leader Donald Trump said, “Iran is dying to make a deal”. “We’ll see what happens. But we hit them hard, and we had no choice because Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. They cannot have it,” Trump added.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that “slight progress” was made during talks with Iran. He spoke before a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, where the military alliance discussed what role it could play in helping police the Strait of Hormuz once the war is over.
As diplomatic efforts continue, European Union nations moved towards imposing sanctions on Iranian officials and others responsible for blocking the Strait of Hormuz, the EU said on Friday. Tehran effectively closed the key shipping lane for global oil and gas supplies in retaliation for the US-Israeli war.
Source: www.aljazeera.com