ISLAMABAD/TEHRAN: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi arrived in Tehran on Saturday “to facilitate” the peace talks between Iran and the United States that have stalled despite a fragile ceasefire, the Iranian media reported.
“Mohsin Naqvi arrived today [Saturday] in the Islamic Republic of Iran on an official two-day visit as part of Pakistan’s ongoing efforts to facilitate talks and promote regional peace,” the Tasnim news agency reported.
Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni received Naqvi, whose visit to Tehran comes days after that of Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Field Marshal Asim Munir.
In April, COAS & CDF Munir, along with a Pakistani delegation including Naqvi, paid a three-day visit to Tehran, where he met Iranian civil and military leadership as part of Islamabad’s mediation efforts to end the US-Israeli war on Iran.
In Saturday’s meeting with Naqvi, Iranian Interior Minister Momeni appreciated Field Marshal Asim Munir’s efforts to help resolve tensions with the US, the Iranian media reported.
They also exchanged views on matters of mutual interest, including regional peace and evolving situation in the wider region.
Both the sides discussed Iran-Pakistan relations and explored possible steps towards the revival of peace talks between Tehran and Washington.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Friday that Tehran had received messages from Washington indicating that President Donald Trump’s administration was willing to continue negotiations.
Meanwhile, the Co-Chair of Congressional Pakistan Caucus, Jack Bergman, has sent a letter to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and COAS & CDF Field Marshal Asim Munir to express his sincere gratitude for the leadership the duo demonstrated in the ongoing peace negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
In the letter to the premier and army chief, the congressman said: “Your partnership has been indispensable to that effort,” state-run PTV reported. He maintained that President Donald Trump has accomplished what past administrations could not.
“The United States relationship with Pakistan is of enduring strategic importance, and Pakistan’s willingness to leverage its unique position to bring these parties to the table is a demonstration of true statesmanship,” the US lawmaker added.
He said: “The president, the White House and Congress have recognised as much publicly. I echo those sentiments fully.”
Bergman thanked the duo, saying: “You have our deep and lasting gratitude.” “I look forward to returning to Pakistan soon and to continuing to strengthen the bond between our two nations in person,” he added.
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan Bakhtiyor Saidov exchanged views on bilateral and multilateral matters of mutual interest, including Pak-Uzbek relations and regional developments.
The DPM/FM spoke with Foreign Minister Saidov, who also appreciated Pakistan’s constructive role in mediation for regional peace and security, the Foreign Office spokesperson said in a press release on Saturday. They agreed to remain in close contact.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has said that “a very nice group of people from Pakistan” had convinced him to stop and wait for a deal with Iran.
Talking to Fox News on Saturday, Trump said: “At the request of a very nice group of people from Pakistan, who are very close to Iran, I didn’t go that final -- they said ‘could you stop, we’re going to make a deal.’ And we really had the confines of a deal”.
Trump, however, stopped short of clarifying what he meant by ‘final’, including whether he was referring to a final attack or another step against Iran.
Trump had previously talked to the media and also said that the US agreed to a ceasefire with Iran “as a favour to Pakistan”. In recent statements, he has also consistently mentioned and praised Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and COAS-CDF Field Marshal Asim Munir.
