Pakistan’s Field Marshal Asim Munir held meetings across Tehran on Monday in an effort to persuade Iran’s security establishment to resume stalled talks with the United States. Pakistani officials described the discussions as positive and said significant progress was made, but no agreement to restart negotiations was announced.
Munir met President Masoud Pezeshkian, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Mohsen Rezaei, the representative of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. Rezaei is viewed as a link between Iran’s military leadership and the supreme leader.
Why the military leadership matters
The visit came amid a deadlock in negotiations intended to end the six-month-long US-Iran war. Analysts cited in the source report said Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps and wider security establishment are increasingly shaping decisions on war and peace, making Munir’s military status potentially important to Pakistan’s mediation effort.
Iran’s internal divide was highlighted on August 21, when Pezeshkian said it was time to end the war while Iran held an advantage. Hours later, Major-General Ali Abdollahi, chief of the general staff of Iran’s armed forces, threatened severe retaliation for any American miscalculation.
Related coverage: Asim Munir heads to Tehran for a third Iran visit this year.
What Pakistan says happened in Tehran
Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations said Munir’s one-day visit involved comprehensive discussions on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending the war. It said Iranian officials appreciated Pakistan’s role and efforts. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who accompanied Munir, called the talks very positive and productive.
Iranian accounts reported that Rezaei told Munir Tehran distrusted Washington and wanted the United States to change its behaviour. Ghalibaf said Washington must meet its commitments under a memorandum of understanding, while Pezeshkian urged Munir to tell the United States to change its tone and approach.
Pressure around the mediation effort
Munir travelled to Tehran days after a phone call with US President Donald Trump, who reportedly asked Pakistan to use its influence to bring Iran back to negotiations. The visit also coincided with threatened US sanctions and renewed warnings that Washington could use military force if Iran challenged the American military.
More context: Trump says no Iran talks are planned amid Hormuz standoff.
A separate Omani track was expected to focus on navigation and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Oman’s foreign minister has held recurring discussions with Tehran on the strait, which runs through Iranian and Omani territorial waters. Analysts described the Omani and Pakistani channels as complementary, while noting that any political understanding would still require acceptance by Iran’s security apparatus.
Also read: Pezeshkian urges an end to Iran-US war as talks stall.
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