Pakistan is stepping up efforts to mediate between the United States and Iran, as both sides exchange proposals amid growing strain on a fragile ceasefire in place since early April, with key disputes over Iran’s nuclear program and the Strait of Hormuz keeping talks deadlocked.
This comes amid media reports that Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir is set to arrive in Tehran for mediation talks on Thursday.
President Donald Trump said earlier that Washington was ready to act if it did not receive “the right answers” from Tehran. On Monday, he said he had called off a planned attack after receiving a new Iranian proposal through Pakistan, as well as at the request of Gulf states caught in the fallout from Iran’s retaliatory missile strikes following earlier US-Israeli attacks on Iranian territory.
“There seems to be a very good chance that they can work something out. If we can do that without bombing the hell out of them, I would be very happy,” Trump told reporters during a drug price announcement on Monday.
Tehran confirmed it was studying the American response. But in a televised interview Wednesday night, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Iran was negotiating in an atmosphere of “deep distrust and suspicion,” citing what he described as Washington’s record of “broken promises and hostile conduct,” Iran’s state media Press TV reported.
Iran submitted a proposal to the US through Pakistan on May 10. It repeats demands Trump has already rejected, including reopening the Strait of Hormuz under Iranian-defined conditions, the release of frozen Iranian funds, lifting of sanctions, and the withdrawal of US forces from the region.
Iran has declared the vital waterway of Hormuz a controlled maritime zone and has effectively restricted ship passage. Around 140 ships crossed daily before the war that erupted on Feb. 28. Lloyd’s List recorded only 54 ships over the past week.
Meanwhile, a recent CNN report said intelligence assessment revealed Iran has already resumed part of its drone production over the past six weeks, and is rebuilding its military capacity faster than initially estimated.
Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly held a tense call on Tuesday over Iran policy, according to Axios, with Netanyahu pushing for military escalation.
A revised draft framework aimed at bridging gaps between the United States and Iran was prepared by Qatar and Pakistan. as part of ongoing regional mediation efforts, the report added.
