Summary of this article
Pakistani Army Chief Asim Munir has arrived in Tehran carrying a "new message" from the US administration, as part of ongoing efforts to prevent the collapse of a fragile two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran.
The visit comes just days after direct US-Iran talks in Islamabad failed to reach a final agreement, with the current ceasefire set to expire on April 22, raising fears of a return to open conflict.
While Munir is in Tehran, Pakistan's Prime Minister is simultaneously in Saudi Arabia for parallel talks, as Islamabad pursues a two-pronged diplomatic strategy to broker a second round of negotiations and end the six-week war.
A high-level Pakistani delegation led by Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir arrived in Tehran on Wednesday for urgent talks with Iranian officials, carrying what Iranian state media describes as a "new message" from the United States .
The visit comes less than a week after marathon face-to-face negotiations between American and Iranian diplomats in Pakistan failed to produce a breakthrough, raising fears that a two-week ceasefire, set to expire on April 22, could collapse and return the region to open conflict .
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi personally received the delegation at the airport, underscoring the significance of the visit. Alongside the army chief, the Pakistani delegation includes Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, representatives from the foreign ministry, security institutions, and technical experts .
The timing of the trip is part of what analysts describe as a coordinated "two-pronged strategy" by Islamabad. While Munir landed in Tehran, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif simultaneously arrived in Saudi Arabia for parallel talks with regional power brokers .
Pakistan's military media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), confirmed that the visit is "part of ongoing mediation efforts" to end the six-week war between the US and Iran, which began on February 28 when American and Israeli forces launched a joint aerial campaign targeting thousands of sites across Iran .
According to Iran's state-run IRIB News, the delegation is carrying Washington's latest position and will "outline a plan for a second round of talks" between the two adversaries .
The backchannel diplomacy has intensified following weekend negotiations in Islamabad that lasted more than 21 hours. US President Donald Trump told the New York Post that a second round of talks could be "happening over the next two days," with Vice President JD Vance expected to lead the American delegation again .
"I think they want to make a deal very badly," Trump said in a Fox News interview, declaring that the war was "very close to
