Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met with his Iranian counterpart, Eskandar Momeni, on Saturday in Tehran. For Pakistan, this is an important new step in its goal of mediating a deal between the US and Iran.
These talks have gone on for two months. Pakistan has continued to stay the course in terms of trying to be optimistic that a deal is within reach.
“Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said late Saturday he had arrived in Tehran to deliver messages from Pakistan’s military chief and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for the supreme leader of Iran,” Saudi-based newspaper Arab News reported.
Islamabad is intensifying its efforts at US-Iran mediation, the report said.
Pakistan’s initiative is taking place while it is also in talks with the Lebanese Army’s commander. As such, Islamabad is now playing a dual role: working on peace with Iran and also inserting itself increasingly into the Middle East.
Pakistan historically is oriented toward South Asia, meaning primarily India, and also in Central Asia, such as Afghanistan. It has warm ties with China and the US. Pakistan is a nuclear power.
The Iran talks mean that Islamabad is increasingly playing a role in the Middle East. For instance, it has been seeking closer security ties with Saudi Arabia.
It was not clear why Pakistan sent Naqvi for the recent round of talks. It might be because its army chief is meeting with his Lebanese counterpart.
“I am here to deliver a special letter from the field marshal [General Asim Munir] for his Eminence Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei and a message from the prime minister regarding the current situation,” Naqvi told reporters,” Arab News reported.
Iran and the US have been clashing in the Gulf
Naqvi told Iranian media outlets he was discussing the current situation. The meetings took place amid new tensions in the Middle East, according to reports in Pakistan.
For instance, Iran and the US have been clashing in the Gulf. This has included Iranian missile attacks against Kuwait.
The US appears to be prepared to try to keep these clashes to a minimum or at least downplay them for now. This gives Pakistan the opportunity to continue to position itself as a key player.
For Washington, it is important to ascertain whether Pakistan can actually move the ball. US President Donald Trump will want to see practical progress toward a deal and has indicated he is willing to wait.
Naqvi made his statement in Iran “hours after the US military said it shot down Iranian ballistic missiles and drones launched toward the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf Arab allies on Friday, while striking some Islamic Republic’s coastal surveillance radar sites in response,” Arab News reported.
Blockades of the Strait of Hormuz
It remains to be seen whether Pakistan can generate any movement toward a deal. Iran continues to insist that it receive frozen assets. It’s also not clear how the blockades of the Strait of Hormuz will be lifted.
Tehran is showing it is willing to continue to carry out attacks in the Gulf. These attacks are not exactly new regarding Iran’s behavior. It has attacked its neighbors in the past.
The attacks are larger, however, and Iran increasingly feels there will be no real repercussions. Tehran is trying to draw new lines in the Gulf and create a new kind of equation.
Pakistan’s mediation efforts are taking place as Iran’s confidence is growing.