TEHRAN: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi arrived in Tehran on Saturday “to facilitate” peace talks between Iran and the United States, which have stalled despite a fragile ceasefire, Iranian media reported.
According to the Tasnim News Agency, Naqvi arrived in the Islamic Republic of Iran on an official two-day visit as part of Pakistan’s ongoing efforts to facilitate dialogue and promote regional peace.
He was received by Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni upon his arrival in Tehran.
Naqvi’s visit comes just days after Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir also visited Iran.
In April, CDF Munir, along with a Pakistani delegation that included Naqvi, undertook a three-day visit to Tehran, during which he met Iran’s civil and military leadership as part of Islamabad’s mediation efforts to end the US-Israeli war on Iran.
During that visit, he met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Tehran as well as Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters Commander Major General Ali Abdollahi.
The CDF also held separate meetings with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who had earlier been part of delegations involved in direct talks with a US delegation in Islamabad last month.
In his meeting with Naqvi today, Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni appreciated Field Marshal Munir’s efforts in helping reduce tensions with the United States, according to Iranian media.
Both sides exchanged views on matters of mutual interest, including regional peace and the evolving security situation in the wider region.
They also discussed Iran-Pakistan bilateral relations and explored possible steps toward reviving peace talks between Tehran and Washington.
Islamabad has been actively mediating in US–Iran peace talks and last month hosted a high-level meeting between delegations from both countries.
A ceasefire announced on April 9 has largely halted fighting that erupted when US and Israeli forces attacked Iran on February 28.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Friday that Tehran had received messages from Washington indicating that President Donald Trump’s administration was willing to continue negotiations.
Iran’s chief negotiator and parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Tuesday that Washington should accept Tehran’s peace proposal or face “failure” after Trump rejected an Iranian counteroffer and warned that the ceasefire was on “life support”.
He added: “There is no alternative but to accept the rights of the Iranian people as laid out in the 14-point proposal. Any other approach will be completely inconclusive; nothing but one failure after another,” according to his post on social media.