Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi in Tehran to meet with officials: Iranian state media
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi arrived in the Iranian capital Tehran on Saturday to meet with Iranian officials, Pakistani government sources told Anadolu.
The sources’ confirmation came after Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported earlier that Naqvi arrived in Tehran “a few hours ago” as part of the unannounced visit.
Earlier, a spokesperson for the interior ministry told Anadolu that the visit was already scheduled.
Read: Pakistan to continue mediation despite hard postures
The ministry will state if Naqvi meets with his Iranian counterpart, the spokesperson said, without elaborating.
The visit marks Naqvi’s second successive trip in as many months. Last month, he had also visited Iran alongside Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who received the delegation, expressed gratitude for Pakistan’s hosting of dialogue efforts with the United States, saying it reflected the “deep and great bilateral relationship” between the two countries.
“Our commitment to promoting peace and stability in the region remains strong — and shared,” he said.
The development came as Pakistan has been mediating between Washington and Tehran to bring a lasting end to the conflict that started with US and Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, and was followed by Iranian retaliation against Israel and other regional countries hosting US assets.
Pakistan had brokered a two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran on April 8, followed by critical talks in Islamabad attended by senior delegations from both countries on April 11 and 12.
However, neither side was able to reach an agreement to bring the conflict to an end.
Since then, the two sides have been exchanging proposals and counter-proposals in an effort to reach a middle ground and resume a second round of direct talks aimed at ending the conflict, which has already disrupted global energy supplies and daily life across the region.
While Pakistan remains hopeful for the resumption of direct talks, sources said there was no “significant” change in Iran’s earlier stance on the nuclear issue in its response to US proposals.
According to sources, Tehran’s response — delivered to the United States via Islamabad last week — primarily focused on an “immediate” end to hostilities, with “little [in it] in terms of Washington’s core demand about Iran’s nuclear programme”.
Also Read: PM Shehbaz confirms receiving Iran’s response to US peace proposal
Iran, the sources added, has proposed “broader and separate” talks on the nuclear issue, citing its “complexity”.
However, Tehran has “reiterated” its willingness to halt uranium enrichment for a period of five years, while rejecting Washington’s demand for a 20-year moratorium, according to the sources.
