Pakistan’s army chief Munir returns to Iran: Can he break US war deadlock?

Islamabad, Pakistan — Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces, Field Marshal Asim Munir, is traveling to Tehran connected Monday for talks with elder Iranian officials, Iran’s Foreign Ministry announced connected Sunday.

It volition beryllium Munir’s 3rd sojourn to Iran this twelvemonth arsenic Islamabad continues its push to mediate an extremity to the United States and Israel’s warfare connected Iran.

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Pakistani officials, speaking connected information of anonymity, confirmed to Al Jazeera that the travel would instrumentality spot but declined to elaborate connected its agenda.

The Pakistani military’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), arsenic good arsenic the Foreign Ministry and Information Ministry, did not respond to Al Jazeera’s requests for remark connected the visit, which was unusually announced by Tehran alternatively than Islamabad.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said the travel would physique connected Pakistan’s efforts to “help fortify bid and information successful the region”.

Munir volition clasp talks with elder Iranian officials during his stay, Baghaei told reporters successful Tehran.

The sojourn follows 2 telephone calls betwixt Munir and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrong 4 days, connected Wednesday and Saturday.

The 2 officials discussed “regional developments” and ways to fortify “peace, stableness and security” successful West Asia, according to Iranian authorities media.

A 3rd travel this year

Munir’s first visit to Tehran this twelvemonth came successful April, days aft the Islamabad Talks, the archetypal nonstop US-Iran negotiations successful much than 4 decades, ended without a breakthrough.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi meets with Pakistan’s Army Chief Asim Munir astatine the Nur Khan Airbase successful Rawalpindi, Pakistan, connected April 24, 2026 [Handout/Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs via AP Photo]

He returned successful May, arriving hours aft US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said determination had been “slight progress” successful talks betwixt Washington and Tehran.

His latest sojourn comes arsenic the diplomatic track underpinning the Islamabad MoU has each but stalled, portion Washington prepares a caller circular of sanctions.

The discussions are besides expected to interaction connected this month’s announcement of the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement betwixt Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye, which Munir attended successful Mecca.

Yemen’s Houthi fighters, whose attacks connected shipping lanes person repeatedly threatened to widen the conflict, are besides apt to diagnostic successful his conversations with Iranian officials. The Houthis are wide believed to person enactment from Tehran.

The contented carries peculiar value for Islamabad.

Three Pakistani sailors were killed and respective others wounded erstwhile Houthi forces struck a Tanzania-flagged commercialized vas successful the Bab al-Mandeb Strait connected August 11.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar called the onslaught a usurpation of planetary instrumentality and “strongly condemned” it astatine the time.

Munir is expected to conscionable Iran’s newly appointed elder subject enactment during the visit, according to Reza Afzal Samir, an Iranian writer tracking the talks.

“He is good positioned to conscionable Iran’s newer elder subject leadership, the caller IRGC chief, the caller Chief of General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, and the caller Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council,” Samir told Al Jazeera, referring to Munir’s expected meetings with Major-General Ahmad Vahidi, Major-General Ali Abdollahi and Mohsen Rezaei respectively.

The officials were each appointed earlier this month.

A lapsed deal

The sojourn comes astatine a fraught infinitesimal for Pakistan’s mediation effort, which it has led aft the warfare began six months ago.

The 60-day model acceptable retired successful the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed by Pakistan, Iran and the US connected June 17, lapsed successful mid-August without either broadside agreeing to widen it.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif greet each different earlier the commencement of a quadrilateral gathering betwixt the US, Iran, Pakistan and Qatar astatine the Lake Lucerne Summit, connected June 21, 2026 [Nathan Howard/Pool via Getty Images]

Iran has kept the Strait of Hormuz shut, insisting that Washington archetypal assistance its naval blockade, extremity lipid sanctions, unfreeze Iranian assets overseas and halt subject threats. Tehran says the US has not met those conditions.

Munir’s travel besides coincides with a caller circular of US economical pressure.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is owed to item connected Monday what American officials person called the “toughest sanctions successful history” against Iran, a bundle helium has said is intended, alongside the continuing naval blockade, to “collapse” the authorities successful Tehran.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry has called the program “economic warfare”.

The travel besides follows a period of determination realignment. Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement connected August 7, a mutual defence pact nether which an onslaught connected 1 signatory would beryllium treated arsenic an onslaught connected each three.

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi travelled to Tehran earlier this period to revive the stalled mediation propulsion but returned without immoderate factual results.

Tensions elsewhere successful the portion person sharpened too.

The United Arab Emirates suspended commercialized and fiscal transactions with Iran past week aft saying it had travel nether occurrence from 2 ballistic missiles launched from Iranian territory, a assertion Baghaei denied.

But Munir’s visit, analysts say, signals that cardinal determination mediators person not fixed up connected efforts to revive talks, either nonstop oregon indirect, betwixt Iran and the US, adjacent arsenic they effort to equilibrium their ain relations with Tehran and Washington.

Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Albusaidi, who, similar Munir, has held caller telephone conversations with Araghchi, is scheduled to sojourn Tehran connected Tuesday, Iran’s state-owned IRNA quality bureau has reported.

What leverage does Islamabad have?

Analysts stay divided connected what Munir’s sojourn tin realistically achieve, fixed Pakistan’s limited ability to enforce immoderate knowing it helps broker.

“Both sides spot Pakistan arsenic a state that has helped facilitate dialog without immoderate idiosyncratic involvement successful the outcome, thing to summation for itself,” said Qamar Cheema, a governmental expert and caput of the Islamabad-based Sanober Institute. “That gives it a definite clarity, and the quality to connection an off-ramp to everyone involved.”

Javad Heiran-Nia, manager of the Persian Gulf Studies Group successful Tehran, said Pakistan’s persistence was driven partly by self-interest.

“Pakistan is acrophobic astir escalating tensions and the outbreak of different all-out warfare betwixt Iran and the United States, which would further destabilise the region,” helium told Al Jazeera, pointing to Islamabad’s reliance connected vigor imports from the Gulf and the hazard of disruption to remittances from Pakistani workers determination if instability spreads.

Zahid Mehmood, a retired two-star wide and Pakistani defence strategist, went further, describing Munir arsenic inactive carrying Washington’s ain offer to Tehran.

“Pakistan is inactive carrying, successful effect, Washington’s off-ramp to Tehran,” helium told Al Jazeera. “The state remains the astir trusted conduit available.”

Not each expert sees Pakistan’s relation arsenic this central.

National flags of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye are displayed extracurricular the parliament location successful Islamabad, connected August 8, 2026 [Sohail Shahzad/EPA]

Andreas Krieg, an subordinate prof of defence studies astatine King’s College London, said Qatar, not Pakistan, remained the primary channel.

“Qatar is starring the governmental mediation and remains the indispensable connection span betwixt Washington and Tehran,” helium told Al Jazeera.

Munir’s contribution, helium said, was narrower, a “military-to-military transmission into an Iranian strategy successful which the IRGC and wider information constitution person go progressively important to decisions astir warfare and peace”.

What Munir tin deliver, and what helium can’t

Iranian writer Samir said Pakistan had a important relation successful Iran’s calculus due to the fact that of what it could do.

“Why should Iran perceive to Pakistan? Because Pakistan inactive retains the leverage to really bash thing and make a existent opening for peace, alternatively than remaining soundless and doing nothing,” helium said.

Samir besides predicted the Munir sojourn could beryllium followed rapidly by question connected Hormuz negotiations. “I deliberation the timeline for a last statement betwixt Iran and Oman connected the Strait of Hormuz is besides drafting near,” helium said. “If [Munir] succeeds successful bringing Iran backmost to the table, I expect a caller announcement from Oman and Iran connected the strait soon after.”

Krieg was much cautious astir what Munir’s sojourn could deliver. The astir meaningful outcome, helium said, would be “confirmation that Iran’s information constitution would abide by a circumstantial Hormuz deconfliction statement and restrain escalation done Yemen oregon Iraq if Qatar tin unafraid reciprocal American movement”.

Without that, according to Krieg, “the connection span remains open, but the 2 sides proceed moving towards different coercive cycle”.

Mehmood, the retired Pakistani general, was little equivocal.

“Pakistan is truly the lone exit paper disposable to either broadside for their off-ramp,” helium told Al Jazeera.