Pakistan’s army chief has reached Tehran for direct talks with Iran’s foreign minister, adding a sharper Pakistan-led mediation track to a U.S.-Iran peace push that Tehran says still has major gaps.
Al-Monitor reported that Field Marshal Asim Munir landed in Tehran on Friday and met Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi late into the night. The talks focused on diplomatic efforts to prevent further escalation, according to Iran’s official IRNA news agency cited in the report.
The development matters because Pakistan is no longer just a background channel. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said many regional and outside governments were trying to help end the war, but Pakistan remained the official mediator. He also cautioned that Munir’s trip did not mean the sides had reached a turning point.
Iran Says the Gaps Are Still Deep
Al Jazeera reported that Iranian officials described differences in the mediated talks with Washington as “deep and significant.” Its report said Munir’s arrival came as diplomatic efforts intensified, but Tehran was still playing down expectations of a fast breakthrough.
That is the key shift from the latest round of optimism. Mediators are moving, but Iran is publicly warning that the core disputes are unresolved. Al-Monitor said Araghchi accused the United States of “excessive demands” in a call with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, while Baqaei said there were “deep and extensive” disagreements remaining.
The White House pressure track is also still alive. Al-Monitor said U.S. media outlets Axios and CBS News reported that Washington was weighing new strikes on Iran, though no final decision had been made. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there had been “some progress” but that things were “not there yet,” adding that President Donald Trump still had other options if diplomacy failed.
Hormuz Remains the Hardest Bargaining Point
The Strait of Hormuz is still at the center of the talks. Al Jazeera reported that Iran described tolls and fees tied to Hormuz transit as part of a “security service” for vessels crossing the waterway, while saying more than 30 vessels passed through the strait in coordination with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps navy over the past day.
Al-Monitor said the status of Hormuz and the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports were both under discussion. Full access to the strait has not been restored, and the blockage continues to weigh on oil supply, shipping costs, and inflation fears.
The talks are therefore not just about a ceasefire document. They are about whether Iran can claim a formal security role around Hormuz, whether the United States lifts or phases out parts of its blockade, and whether a later nuclear process can be separated from immediate war-ending terms.
Pakistan’s Role Is Getting Bigger
Pakistan’s mediation role now sits alongside Qatar’s new push in Tehran and earlier Omani involvement. Al-Monitor reported that Baqaei confirmed a Qatari delegation had also met Araghchi on Friday, but framed Pakistan as the official mediator.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar also flew to China for a four-day visit, according to Al-Monitor, with the Middle East crisis expected to be part of the discussions. That gives the diplomacy a broader regional layer because China is Iran’s top trading partner and a possible guarantor in any deal structure.
For now, the new development is not a breakthrough. It is a clarification of where the talks actually stand: Pakistan’s top military figure is now physically in the room, Qatar is active in Tehran, and Iran is still warning that the U.S. terms remain too far apart.
If a deal comes together, it likely has to solve Hormuz first. If it fails, Washington is openly signaling that military options remain on the table.
Sources: Al-Monitor, Al Jazeera.