PM Shehbaz, COAS Munir making “full efforts at every level” to resolve Iran war, Naqvi tells US envoy
Mahnoor Ansar
ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and US Charge d’Affaires Natalie Baker held a meeting during which both sides exchanged detailed views on ongoing diplomatic developments for the second round of US-Iran talks, the interior ministry said.
According to the statement, the meeting also focused on the latest situation in the region. Naqvi and Baker discussed the importance of continued diplomatic engagement for regional stability.
The interior minister commended US President Donald Trump’s initiative to extend the ceasefire, calling it a “welcome development” that made significant progress towards reducing tensions.
Naqvi said Pakistan hopes for positive progress from the Iranian side, noting that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Field Marshal Asim Munir are making all-out efforts at every level to resolve the issue.
“It is hoped that both parties will give a chance to a diplomatic and peaceful solution,” Naqvi said.
The US Charge d’Affaires also commended Pakistan’s constructive and responsible role in promoting peace and supporting conflict resolution efforts in the region.
The meeting was held amid ongoing diplomatic efforts to facilitate dialogue and reduce tensions between Washington and Tehran, with Islamabad acting as the only mediator.
The second round of US-Iran talks may take place as early as Friday, the New York Post reported, citing President Donald Trump on Wednesday.
“It’s possible!” Trump reportedly told the Post by text message, when asked about sources in Pakistan, saying that a second round was “expected in Islamabad within the next 36 to 72 hours.”
Trump on Tuesday extended a two-week truce in the war just as it was about to expire. Trump had said he would maintain the truce to allow more time for Pakistani-brokered peace talks. Iran said it welcomed the efforts by Pakistan but made no other comment on Trump’s announcement.
However, the US president said that the US Navy would continue its blockade of Iranian maritime trade, a measure Tehran considers an act of war.
Iran also vowed not to reopen the Strait of Hormuz as long as a US naval blockade remains in place.
“A complete ceasefire only has meaning if it is not violated through a naval blockade,” said Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who led Tehran´s delegation in the first round of talks in Islamabad.
“Reopening the Strait of Hormuz is not possible amid a blatant violation of the ceasefire.”
The Middle East conflict began on February 28, following a large-scale surprise attack on Iran by the United States and Israel, despite the ongoing negotiations between Washington and Tehran at the time.
Pakistan-brokered ceasefire took effect on April 8, followed by the first round of talks that lasted for 21 hours in Islamabad earlier this month.
The meeting marked the first direct encounter between American and Iranian officials in more than a decade and the most senior engagement since Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.
US Vice President JD Vance and Ghalibaf led their respective delegations in the last round of talks to work out a slew of issues, including the Strait of Hormuz as well as Iran’s nuclear programme and international sanctions on Tehran.
