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Pakistan’s Asim Munir heads to Tehran as US-Iran talks show cautious progress

Asim Munir’s Tehran visit underlines Pakistan’s growing role in US-Iran mediation, with uranium and Hormuz still unresolved.

By Sarwesh Sri Bardhan

May 22, 2026 21:32 IST

Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, departed for Tehran on Friday for talks linked to the Iran-US negotiation track.

The visit comes as Islamabad steps up efforts to help bridge differences between Washington and Tehran, with Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi already in Iran for parallel discussions.

According to an Anadolu report, Munir is expected to meet senior Iranian figures and discuss Iran-US talks, regional peace and stability, and other “important issues.”

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A second Tehran trip

The report said this would be Munir's second trip to Tehran amid the mediation drive and noted that Munir had met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi during a previous three-day visit last month.

The diplomatic push comes as the two sides continue indirect talks over a possible agreement.

The United States and Iran are exchanging messages and draft texts. An Iranian official told Al Jazeera the sides were “very close” to an understanding. At the same time, the Strait of Hormuz becomes the focus of mediation efforts, and oil markets respond cautiously to the potential for a breakthrough.

Agreement is not assured

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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday that there had been “slight progress” in the talks and “some good signs,” but he warned against overreading the developments.

On the same day, US President Donald Trump said Washington would secure Iran’s highly enriched uranium and rejected any plan for transit charges in the Strait of Hormuz. An Iranian official said Tehran could “downblend” its stockpile itself instead of handing it over.

The latest round of movement follows weeks of intensified mediation, with Pakistani officials increasingly used as intermediaries between the two sides. But there remain unresolved differences over uranium and Hormuz, suggesting that while the channel remains open, a final deal is not yet assured.

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