Field Marshal Asim Munir, commander of the Pakistani army, will travel to Tehran on Tuesday, 20 October 2026, for talks with Islamic Republic officials. A Pakistani official has confirmed the trip. Munir's visit comes a day after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was in Tehran, and shows that the mediators' consultations to prevent a return to full-scale war have gathered pace.
Pakistan has been the most important mediator between the United States and the Islamic Republic this year, and the only face-to-face talks between the two sides since the start of the war have been held in Islamabad. Munir also held talks with Islamic Republic officials during trips to Tehran this summer about preventing an escalation of the conflict, reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending the war sooner. The exact schedule of his meetings on this trip has not been announced.
Lavrov's trip and Trump's talks with Moscow
On Monday, 19 October, Sergey Lavrov met Abbas Araghchi, Mohsen Rezaei and Masoud Pezeshkian in Tehran. During the visit he announced the gradual return of Russian specialists to the Bushehr power plant, backed the mediators' efforts and called for the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz to return to their pre-crisis conditions. Before Tehran, Lavrov had met the foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council in Manama; those countries had asked Moscow to press the Islamic Republic to engage in talks and to end the insecurity of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
At the same time, US President Donald Trump has said that, besides the war in Ukraine, he is also negotiating with Russia about the Islamic Republic. This shuttle diplomacy comes as the Islamic Republic continues to keep tension high over the Strait of Hormuz by threatening ships and blacklisting vessels, while US and Israeli officials speak of a possible resumption of strikes.
The Pakistani army chief's trip to Tehran, a day after Lavrov's, is the latest mediation effort to prevent a return to war.
Comments
No comments yet. Be the first.