Pakistani Army Chief Wraps Tehran Talks As Fragile US-Iran Diplomacy Intensifies
by RFE/RL · Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty · JoinPakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, held a fresh round of meetings with senior Iranian officials in Tehran on May 23 as part of a widening diplomatic push involving Pakistan, Qatar, Gulf states, and Western countries amid growing fears that the conflict in Iran could reignite.
Iranian state media reported that Munir met separately with Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian and parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, following earlier talks with Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi that continued late into the night on May 22. The discussions reportedly focused on diplomatic proposals and messages exchanged between Tehran and Washington, including a 14-point framework document Iran considers central to future negotiations.
“The history and experience of negotiations with Americans dictate that we exercise the utmost caution,” Pezeshkian told Munir during their meeting, according to Iranian state media.
The diplomatic push under way, which also includes efforts by Qatar, follows weeks of shifting signals from US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly threatened military action against Iran while also backing away from strikes to allow talks to continue.
Citing an interview with Trump on May 23, Axios reported that the US president said there were even odds that Washington would secure a "good" deal or renew its military campaign.
"I think one of two things will happen: either I hit them harder than they have ever been hit, or we are going to sign a deal that is good," Trump said, according to Axios, adding that he might decide by May 24 whether to resume the war.
Qalibaf, who has emerged as one of Tehran’s top negotiators since US-Israeli strikes on Iran began on February 28, said following his meeting with Munir that Iran would not compromise on its “national rights” and accused Washington of negotiating in bad faith.
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Iraninan Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei seemed to strike a more consolidatory note, saying that Iran and the United States are “currently working to finalize” a memorandum of understanding and “the opinions have been converging," according to the state IRNA news agency,
Tehran has focused negotiations on “ending the war on all fronts, including Lebanon” and is “not discussing the details of the nuclear issue," Baghaei said on May 23, adding that Pakistan is mediating talks “in the strict sense of the word” and a Qatari delegation has helped to resolve some misunderstandings.
“We will have to wait and see what happens over the next three to four days," he said.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reiterated that “some progress” has been made in mediation efforts between Washington and Tehran.
“There’s been some progress done, some progress made, even as I speak to you now, there’s some work being done,” Rubio told reporters on May 23 while visiting India.
“There is a chance that, whether it’s later today, tomorrow, in a couple days, we may have something to say,” he added.
Pakistan Emerges As Key Intermediary
Pakistan has emerged as a central intermediary in the talks because of its ties with both Tehran and Washington, while Qatar has stepped up its own mediation role as negotiations increasingly focus on the future management of the Strait of Hormuz and the sequencing of a possible US-Iran agreement.
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The latest diplomacy stretches from Tehran to Doha and NATO meetings in Europe, reflecting mounting concern among regional and international powers that another round of fighting could trigger a wider crisis centered on the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic waterway through which roughly one-fifth of global oil supplies normally pass.
Araghchi has held calls in recent days with counterparts from Turkey, Iraq, Qatar, and Oman, as well as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, as regional powers intensified efforts to keep indirect negotiations between Tehran and Washington alive.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who serves as both Qatar’s foreign minister and prime minister, spoke by phone with Araqchi on May 23 and reiterated Doha’s support for mediation efforts, according to a Qatari Foreign Ministry statement.
Sheikh Mohammed said all parties needed to respond positively to the negotiations in order to secure “sustainable peace and stability” and warned against using the Strait of Hormuz as leverage.
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“Freedom of navigation is a fundamental and nonnegotiable principle,” he said, according to the statement.
Jordan’s Foreign Ministry said Sheikh Mohammed also spoke with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, with the two discussing Pakistani-led mediation efforts and the need to support negotiations aimed at preventing renewed escalation.
Reuters reported on May 22 that a Qatari negotiating team had traveled to Tehran to help secure a broader agreement between Washington and Tehran.
The renewed mediation effort comes amid reports that Iran and the United States are exchanging messages and draft proposals through intermediaries in an attempt to establish a formal framework for future negotiations.
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The talks remain indirect, with Pakistan, Qatar, and Oman among the countries facilitating communication between the two sides.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also arrived in China on May 23 for a multiday visit expected to include discussions on the Iran conflict with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Strait Of Hormuz Proposal Highlights Global Stakes
The diplomatic activity has accelerated amid growing tension over the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively restricted since the conflict began.
The waterway is a critical transit route for oil, liquefied natural gas (LNG), and commercial shipping, and the disruption has rattled global energy markets and intensified pressure on countries dependent on Gulf trade routes.
Iran has proposed creating a Persian Gulf Strait Authority that would regulate shipping traffic and impose transit fees, according to regional officials and diplomats involved in the talks.
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The proposal has alarmed Gulf Arab states and Western governments, which fear Tehran is attempting to establish long-term control over one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints.
Five Gulf states -- Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates -- have reportedly written to international maritime authorities warning against recognizing any Iranian-controlled shipping mechanism in the strait.
At the NATO meeting in Sweden on May 22, Rubio sharply criticized Iran’s proposal.
“Iran is trying to create a tolling system,” Rubio said. “There is not a country in the world that should accept that.”
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte also accused Iran of attempting to “hold the global economy hostage” through restrictions on maritime traffic.
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US Central Command said on May 22 that the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group remained at “peak readiness” in the Arabian Sea, releasing images of warplanes launching from the carrier as Washington maintained military pressure alongside negotiations.
Iran has pushed for a phased process focused first on a permanent cessation of hostilities, sanctions relief, and guarantees against future military action before broader nuclear negotiations proceed.
The United States has favored a more comprehensive agreement negotiated simultaneously, including limits on Iran’s nuclear program and the future status of uranium enrichment.
Pakistani Army Chief Wraps Tehran Talks As Fragile US-Iran Diplomacy Intensifies
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