ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi arrived in Tehran on Wednesday and held talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and other senior officials, as Islamabad intensifies diplomatic efforts to broker peace amid renewed tensions between Washington and Tehran.
Pakistan has positioned itself as a key mediator since the war erupted following joint US-Israeli strikes on Tehran on Feb. 28, which triggered Iranian retaliation and disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz. The strait is a critical global energy corridor through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas passes.
While a fragile ceasefire announced on Apr. 8 remains in place, negotiations between Washington and Tehran have largely stalled following an initial round of direct talks in Islamabad, with disputes over Iran’s uranium enrichment program and the control of the Strait of Hormuz continuing to hamper progress.
Naqvi arrived in Tehran today, Wednesday, for meetings with Iranian officials, according to Iran’s state news agency Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), marking his second visit to the country within five days. Naqvi had also visited Tehran over the weekend for meetings with Iranian officials in hopes of securing a peace deal between Washington and Tehran.
“Meeting between Pakistan’s Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian,” a statement shared by Naqvi’s WhatsApp channel wrote.
In a video also shared by IRNA News, Naqvi can be seen shaking hands with Pezeshkian and later meeting the Iranian president with other officials present.
Earlier, IRNA said Naqvi met his Iranian counterpart Eskandar Momeni after arriving in Tehran to discuss matters of mutual interest and the regional security situation.
“Detailed discussion on the latest regional situation during the meeting [were held],” the statement added.
IRNA said Naqvi and Momeni also discussed border management and internal security matters.
IRAN SAYS RECEIVED FRESH US PROPOSAL
Meanwhile, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said Tehran had received a new US proposal and was currently examining it, as a minister from mediator Pakistan visited Tehran.
“We received the points of view of the American side and we are currently examining them,” Baqaei told Iranian state media, as reported by AFP.
“The presence of Pakistan’s interior minister is aimed at facilitating the exchange of messages.”
He reiterated Iran’s demands in talks to end the war, including the release of Iranian assets frozen abroad and an end to the US blockade on Iranian ports, AFP added.
’BEYOND THE REGION’
Naqvi’s latest visit comes amid renewed tensions between Washington and Tehran, following warnings from US President Donald Trump that the United States could resume strikes on Iran within days if no agreement is reached.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned on Wednesday that any new attacks by the US or Israel would spark a wider regional conflict.
“If the aggression against Iran is repeated, the promised regional war will this time spread far beyond the region,” the Guards said in a statement reported by AFP.
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi also warned on social media that a “return to war will feature many more surprises.”
Pakistan has repeatedly called for diplomacy and restraint, with officials saying Islamabad remains engaged with regional and international partners to help prevent further escalation in the Gulf.
Last month, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said the country was continuing diplomatic efforts to ease regional tensions, while declining to provide details of the ongoing discussions.
“The clock on diplomacy has not stopped. The peace process is working,” foreign ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi told reporters in Islamabad at the time.
