Pakistan’s Naqvi visits Iran with ‘special letter’ for supreme leader

Mediator Pakistan ramps up diplomatic efforts to extremity US-Iran warfare arsenic Gulf countries pass of escalation.

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has travelled to Iran to present a “special letter” to Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei arsenic portion of diplomatic efforts to extremity the United States-Israeli warfare connected Iran, which began 100 days ago.

Naqvi arrived successful the Iranian capital, Tehran, precocious connected Saturday, and met his Iranian counterpart, Eskandar Momeni. The 2 discussed the “latest determination developments and matters related to interior security”, among different issues, Naqvi said connected societal media. Before his arrival, Iranian media reported that the Pakistani authoritative was carrying a missive from his country’s service main and premier curate ⁠⁠for the ultimate leader.

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His sojourn comes amid renewed tensions successful the Gulf region. On Sunday, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces had changeable down 2 Iranian one-way onslaught drones “that threatened planetary maritime postulation successful the Strait of Hormuz”.

On Friday, it said it intercepted 7 ballistic missiles heading towards Kuwait and Bahrain hours aft it had changeable down 4 Iranian drones launched towards the strait, a cardinal waterway done which astir 20 percent of globally traded lipid usually passes. United States forces said they “subsequently” struck Iranian coastal surveillance radar sites successful Garuk and connected Qeshm Island “to support against further maritime attacks”.

The attacks drew the ire of Gulf nations that are bearing the brunt of a warfare they lobbied against. Bahrain denounced the latest attacks arsenic “blatant aggression”. The land federation hosts the office of the US Fifth Fleet. Kuwait said the attacks “represent a unsafe escalation”. Egypt, Jordan and Qatar joined the condemnation.

Negotiations astatine ‘deadlock’

Despite tit-for-tat attacks and sporadic exchanges of fire, negotiations implicit a woody to extremity the warfare are continuing, but an statement remains elusive.

US President Donald Trump has alternated betwixt threatening a renewed subject run and expressing optimism astir a diplomatic breakthrough. On Wednesday, helium said an statement could beryllium finalised implicit the weekend.

But Iranian officials person offered a much cautious tone. “The negotiations are astatine a deadlock, and Trump indispensable interruption this deadlock,” Mohsen Rezaei, subject advisor to Iran’s ultimate leader, told US media outlet CNN connected Saturday. He besides called for the merchandise of astir $24bn successful frozen Iranian assets.

The unfreezing of Iranian assets is 1 of the cardinal sticking points successful ongoing talks. On Wednesday, media reports said US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was considering utilizing them to enactment rebuilding efforts successful the Gulf caused by Iranian attacks.

“The Treasury volition utilise each tools disposable to let Iranian assets to beryllium made disposable to our Gulf allies to enactment rebuilding and repairs for immoderate aboriginal harm caused by Iran,” a US authoritative told respective quality agencies.

Other sticking points see an extremity to hostilities crossed each fronts, including Lebanon; sanctions waivers connected crude exports; the lifting of a US larboard blockade; and leverage implicit the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran has blocked the constrictive waterway since the US and Israel launched the warfare connected February 28. Tehran responded by firing waves of drones and missiles astatine Israel, US targets successful the portion and neighbouring Gulf countries.

It declared the Strait of Hormuz closed and threatened to onslaught vessels transiting done the constrictive waterway without its permission. Its effectual power of the commercialized chokepoint sent lipid and state prices to a multi-year precocious and threatened planetary supplies.

Armed hostilities mostly subsided aft the impermanent Pakistan-mediated ceasefire began connected April 8 . Direct talks successful Islamabad broke down connected April 12, and the 2 sides person exchanged a bid of proposals to extremity the warfare via Pakistan since then. However, respective flare-ups since person led to increasing fears that full‑scale warring could resume.