OMM Newsroom
Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, again urged Iran to use its influence to persuade Yemen’s Houthi group to stop attacks on Saudi Arabia during his latest meetings with Iranian leaders in Tehran, Pakistani government sources told Anadolu Agency on Wednesday.
“The field marshal’s latest meetings with the Iranian leadership were more focused on the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia during his latest visit, in addition to Islamabad’s continued efforts for the resumption of US-Iran talks,” a source familiar with the developments said.
Munir also explained Pakistan’s commitment to defend Saudi Arabia under the Mecca defense pact, the source said, adding that he had again asked Iranian leaders to help bring the Houthi attacks to a halt.
Munir arrived in Tehran on Tuesday with a delegation that included Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who has played an active role in mediation efforts. The visit came amid continued tensions between Iran and the United States, as diplomatic efforts to resolve their differences remained stalled.
Iran reiterated its offer to mediate between the Houthis and Riyadh, saying it “doesn’t want the Middle East conflict to further widen,” the sources said. They did not provide further details about Tehran’s response to Munir’s request concerning the attacks.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have signed two defense agreements aimed at collective deterrence: the Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement and the Mecca Joint Defense Alliance, which also includes Türkiye. The Mecca agreement, signed on Aug. 7, allows its signatories to treat an attack on one member as an attack on all three.
Pakistan army spokesman Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said in an interview last week that Islamabad was providing Saudi Arabia with “whatever support is needed” to defend the kingdom amid Houthi attacks. He did not elaborate on the details of that support.
Efforts to resume US-Iran talks
Munir discussed “different ways” to restart long-stalled direct talks with the United States with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, chief negotiator and Parliament Speaker Bagher Ghalibaf, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and Mohsen Rezaei, a representative of Iran’s supreme leader and secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, the sources said.
Iranian leaders offered “anything new in this regard,” the sources said, but insisted Washington must return to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding before talks could resume to end the conflict. They told Munir that Washington must take the first steps to rebuild trust and that accepting Tehran’s seven-point proposal could provide a starting point for renewed negotiations.
Pezeshkian told Munir that the United States must end pressure and threats and lift sanctions before negotiations could begin. The two sides agreed to continue ongoing indirect messages between Washington and Tehran through mediators, the sources said.
The sources said they did not know whether Munir had taken any new proposals to Tehran to restart the stalled talks with the United States.
Pakistan has played a mediating role in efforts to reduce tensions between Washington and Tehran amid the war launched by the United States and Israel on Feb. 28.
Washington and Tehran signed the memorandum on June 17, agreeing to advance negotiations towards a permanent settlement on several contentious issues, including Iran’s nuclear programme, within 60 days. However, hostilities that began in July have cast uncertainty over the agreement’s future.
