Composite story

Pakistan’s army chief Munir visits Tehran after speaking with Trump

Field Marshal Asim Munir arrived in Tehran on a mediation trip as U.S.–Iran talks sit stalled. Sources say he spoke with Trump first; analysts split on whether Islamabad has leverage or is carrying a U.S. message.

Pakistan’s army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir arrived in Tehran with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi after Iranian officials announced the trip. Reuters, citing Pakistani sources, said President Trump called Munir last week and asked Islamabad to pull Iran back to talks. Pakistan presents the visit as mediation to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and revive the lapsed Islamabad memorandum. Iranian leaders told Munir they still back that deal and that Washington has not honored it. Coverage splits on whether this is Munir’s third or fourth Iran trip since the war, and on whether Pakistan is an honest broker or a U.S. channel.

Shared facts

Baghaei said Munir will hold talks with senior Iranian officials during his stay.

He met parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.

The reported conversation had not previously been disclosed publicly.

One source said the main U.S. request was for Pakistan to bring Iran back to negotiations.

Ghalibaf said Washington undermined regional stability by failing to honor the memorandum.

The 60-day window lapsed in mid-August without an extension.

The visit was unusually announced by Tehran rather than Islamabad.

Pakistan has led a mediation effort after the war began six months ago.

ISPR said the visit was part of Pakistan’s effort to end the U.S.–Iran stalemate and lasting regional instability.

Munir met President Pezeshkian.

Washington warned countries providing economic lifelines to Tehran of potential consequences.

Baghaei said the trip would build on Pakistan’s efforts to help strengthen regional peace and security.

Munir was joined by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi.

Rezaei said Iran distrusted the United States and that Washington must change its behavior and implement the understanding.

Reuters reported that Trump initiated the call.

ISPR said Momeni received Munir and Naqvi upon arrival.

ISPR and Pakistan’s foreign and information ministries did not respond to requests for comment.

Bessent was due Monday to detail what officials called the toughest sanctions in history against Iran.

Oman’s foreign minister is scheduled to visit Tehran on Tuesday, IRNA reported.

Pakistan, Iran, and the US signed the Islamabad MoU on June 17.

Baqaei said the visit was taking place as Iran–Pakistan ties reach one of their strongest stages.

Iran has kept the Strait of Hormuz shut.

Baqaei said the Pakistani visit was unrelated to Oman’s foreign minister’s expected arrival.

Tehran says the US has not met those conditions.

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement on Aug. 7.

Naqvi travelled to Tehran earlier this month and returned without concrete results.

Houthi attacks on shipping are also likely to feature in Munir’s conversations.

The Houthis are widely believed to receive support from Tehran.

The White House did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.

The pact treats an attack on one signatory as an attack on all three.

Iran retaliated across the region.

Renewed hostilities deepened the trust deficit between Washington and Tehran.

Disputed facts

It will be Munir’s third visit to Iran this year.

Reuters

Pakistan's Munir spoke to Trump ahead of Tehran visit, sources say

Asif Shahzad, Ariba Shahid and Mubasher Bukhari

24 Aug 2026

Facts

Iran vowed to shut down all oil exports from the Gulf.

A Pakistani source said Munir was expected to meet people close to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.

It was unclear what Munir and Trump discussed in detail.

Pakistan remained a trading partner of Iran throughout the fighting.

A Pakistani source said U.S.–Iran tensions were a focus of the visit.

Another Pakistani government source said while U.S.-Iran tensions were a focus of the visit, Munir was also expected to discuss recent attacks by Iran-aligned Houthi fighters on Pakistan's ally Saudi Arabia as well as the recently signed mutual defence agreement between Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

attribution · Pakistani government source

Opinion

No opinion marked.

The Times of Israel

Pakistan army chief Asim Munir to visit Iran amid push to revive stalled US talks

Rajeev Singh

23 Aug 2026

Facts

Pakistan signed the interim peace agreement as a guarantor.

Rezaei warned neighboring countries against joining a fresh US effort to pressure Iran’s economy.

Trump warned on Aug. 20 of a “most crushing economic operation” if Iran failed to reach a deal.

Pezeshkian defended the June agreement as the best way beyond “neither war nor peace.”

About one-fifth of the world’s energy supplies normally passes through the Gulf chokepoint.

Opinion

No opinion marked.

The Statesman

Pak Army chief Asim Munir in Iran on ‘face-saving’ trip after mediation efforts fall flat

Statesman News Service

24 Aug 2026

Facts

Iran said Munir’s visit comes within the framework of bilateral relations.

No immediate military response from Turkey or Pakistan was publicly announced after the Houthi attack.

The pact faced scrutiny after a Houthi drone attack on Saudi Aramco’s Jazan refinery.

The pact has already faced scrutiny following a Houthi drone attack on Saudi Aramco’s Jazan refinery.

The incident occurred just two days after the agreement was signed and prompted questions about how the collective-defence commitment would operate in practice.

fact

Fidan compared the collective-defence clause to NATO’s Article 5, with consultation on assistance rather than automatic combat.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has described the collective-defence provision as technically comparable to NATO’s Article 5, while stressing that members would consult on the nature and scale of assistance following an attack rather than automatically entering combat.

attribution · Hakan Fidan

Islamabad maintains close ties with Saudi Arabia and Turkey and longstanding relations with Iran.

Opinion

Several experts believe the visit is an attempt at face-saving.

Munir’s talks are expected to draw attention to Pakistan’s balancing role.

Dawn

CDF Munir vows continued efforts to stabilise region in meeting with Iran’s Ghalibaf

News Desk

24 Aug 2026

Facts

Munir said Pakistan would continue efforts to help restore regional stability.

An April 8 ceasefire ended nearly 40 days of intense bombardment.

Reopening the strait has become a U.S. priority.

Washington has urged other governments, including Beijing, to help isolate Iran’s economy.

Opinion

No opinion marked.

The Express Tribune

CDF presses for end to US-Iran stalemate

Kamran Yousaf

24 Aug 2026

Facts

Pakistan’s readout said he pushed to break the U.S.–Iran stalemate, reopen Hormuz, and find a negotiated settlement.

TEHRAN: Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir during his day-long visit to Tehran on Monday pushed for breaking the stalemate in the ongoing US-Iran conflict, reopening the Strait of Hormuz and finding a negotiated settlement to end the conflict and wider regional instability, according to Pakistan's official readout.

The statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) provided the first detailed official account of Field Marshal Munir's high-level engagements in Tehran amid Pakistan's renewed diplomatic efforts to revive dialogue between Washington and Tehran.

According to ISPR, the CDF and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi held "comprehensive discussions" with Iran's top political and security leadership on measures to prevent further escalation, reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz and bring about an "expedited termination" of the conflict.

The Pakistani military said the two sides also exchanged views on regional peace and explored ways to reach a negotiated settlement to the disputes.

The Strait of Hormuz emerged as another key issue during the Pakistani military chief's visit.

The detailed account provided by ISPR nevertheless indicates that Islamabad is continuing to pursue diplomacy, with the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and an end to the conflict now emerging as central elements of Pakistan's latest initiative.

attribution · Pakistan's official readout

He met Mohsen Rezaei, the supreme leader’s representative on the Supreme National Security Council.

He held separate meetings with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Mohsen Rezaei, the representative of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei on the Supreme National Security Council, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni.

fact

He met Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

He held separate meetings with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Mohsen Rezaei, the representative of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei on the Supreme National Security Council, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni.

fact

ISPR said Iranian leaders appreciated Pakistan’s role in facilitating dialogue and de-escalation.

Iranian officials said Tehran remains committed to the MoU if the US fulfills its obligations.

Iranian officials also stressed during Munir's meetings that Tehran remained committed to the MoU but expected the US to fulfil its obligations.

With President Trump seeking to increase pressure on Tehran and Iran insisting that it will not accept negotiations without guarantees and concrete commitments from Washington, Pakistan's mediation effort faces significant challenges.

attribution · Iranian officials

Opinion

The visit was widely seen as an attempt to keep alive a diplomatic process Pakistan had helped facilitate.

The paper said Pakistan’s push aims to prevent further escalation and reopen Hormuz while reviving direct talks.

Pakistan's latest diplomatic push therefore appears to have two immediate objectives: preventing further escalation and creating conditions for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz alongside the revival of direct negotiations.

center · pluralist

The visit underscored Pakistan’s unusual role maintaining communication with both Washington and Tehran.

Pakistan’s mediation effort faces significant challenges.

Al Jazeera

Pakistan’s army chief back in Iran: Can he break peace talks deadlock?

Abid Hussain

24 Aug 2026

Facts

Munir and Araghchi spoke by phone twice in four days, on Wednesday and Saturday.

The visit follows two phone calls between Munir and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi within four days, on Wednesday and Saturday.

The two officials discussed “regional developments” and ways to strengthen “peace, stability and security” in West Asia, according to Iranian state media.

fact

Three Pakistani sailors were killed when Houthis struck a Tanzania-flagged vessel on Aug. 11.

Munir’s first Tehran visit this year came in April.

Munir’s first visit to Tehran this year came in April, days after the Islamabad Talks, the first direct US-Iran negotiations in more than four decades, ended without a breakthrough.

He returned in May, arriving hours after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there had been “slight progress” in talks between Washington and Tehran.

fact

Munir is expected to meet newly appointed Iranian military leaders including IRGC chief Ahmad Vahidi and SNSC secretary Mohsen Rezaei.

Munir is expected to meet Iran’s newly appointed senior military leadership during the visit, including Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps chief Major-General Ahmad Vahidi, Chief of General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major-General Ali Abdollahi and the new Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Mohsen Rezaei.

fact

Bessent has said the package, with the naval blockade, is intended to collapse Iran’s government.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is due to detail on Monday what American officials have called the “toughest sanctions in history” against Iran, a package he has said is intended, alongside the continuing naval blockade, to “collapse” the government in Tehran.

attribution · Scott Bessent

Rubio had said there had been slight progress in U.S.–Iran talks.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry called the plan economic warfare.

Ishaq Dar called the attack a violation of international law and strongly condemned it.

The UAE suspended trade and financial transactions with Iran last week after alleging Iranian missile fire.

Baghaei denied the UAE’s missile claim.

Opinion

Analysts remain divided on what Munir’s visit can achieve, given Pakistan’s limited ability to enforce a deal.

Analysts say the visit signals mediators have not given up on reviving U.S.–Iran talks.

But Munir’s visit, analysts say, signals that key regional mediators have not given up on efforts to revive talks, either direct or indirect, between Iran and the US, even as they try to balance their own relations with Tehran and Washington.

center · pluralist

Mehmood described Munir as still carrying Washington’s own offer to Tehran.

Mehmood said Pakistan is still carrying Washington’s off-ramp to Tehran.

Cheema said both sides see Pakistan as facilitating dialogue without a personal stake.

“Both sides see Pakistan as a country that has helped facilitate dialogue without any personal stake in the outcome, nothing to gain for itself,” said Qamar Cheema, a political analyst and head of the Islamabad-based Sanober Institute.

attribution · Qamar Cheema

Heiran-Nia said Pakistan’s persistence was driven partly by self-interest.

Krieg said Qatar, not Pakistan, remained the primary channel.

Heiran-Nia said Pakistan fears another all-out U.S.–Iran war that would destabilize the region.

“Pakistan is concerned about escalating tensions and the outbreak of another all-out war between Iran and the United States, which would further destabilise the region,” he told Al Jazeera, pointing to Islamabad’s reliance on energy imports from the Gulf and the risk of disruption to remittances from Pakistani workers there if instability spreads.

attribution · Javad Heiran-Nia

Krieg said Qatar is leading political mediation between Washington and Tehran.

Cheema said that gives Pakistan the ability to offer an off-ramp to everyone involved.

Krieg said Munir’s role is a narrower military-to-military channel into Iran’s security establishment.

Munir’s contribution, he said, was narrower, a “military-to-military channel into an Iranian system in which the IRGC and wider security establishment have become increasingly important to decisions about war and peace”.

attribution · Andreas Krieg

Mehmood said Pakistan remains the most trusted conduit available.

Krieg said the meaningful outcome would be Iran abiding by a Hormuz deconfliction deal if Qatar can get U.S. reciprocity.

The most meaningful outcome, he said, would be “confirmation that Iran’s security establishment would abide by a specific Hormuz deconfliction arrangement and restrain escalation through Yemen or Iraq if Qatar can secure reciprocal American movement”.

attribution · Andreas Krieg

Krieg said that without that, both sides keep moving toward another coercive cycle.

Mehmood said Pakistan is really the only exit card available to either side.

Some analysts believe the visit could set the stage for an Iran–Oman deal on jointly managing Hormuz.

Not every analyst sees Pakistan’s role as this central.

Krieg was more cautious about what Munir’s visit could deliver.

Pakistan’s army chief Munir visits Tehran after speaking with Trump

Shared facts

Disputed facts

Shared opinions

Disputed opinions

Pakistan's Munir spoke to Trump ahead of Tehran visit, sources say

Facts

Opinion

Pakistan army chief Asim Munir to visit Iran amid push to revive stalled US talks

Facts

Opinion

Pak Army chief Asim Munir in Iran on ‘face-saving’ trip after mediation efforts fall flat

Facts

Opinion

CDF Munir vows continued efforts to stabilise region in meeting with Iran’s Ghalibaf

Facts

Opinion

CDF presses for end to US-Iran stalemate

Facts

Opinion

Pakistan’s army chief back in Iran: Can he break peace talks deadlock?

Facts

Opinion