Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, arrived in Tehran on Tuesday evening for talks with Iranian officials, as diplomatic efforts ramp up to prevent a new round of fighting with the United States and Israel.
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efforts → arrive → States
Munir’s visit is his fifth to Iran since the April ceasefire between Tehran and Washington, which was brokered by Islamabad.
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which → broker → Islamabad
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi is accompanying Munir, Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported.
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agency → accompany → Munir
The Pakistani army chief is expected to meet Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi first, IRNA said.
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IRNA → expect → Araghchi
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fight → talk → Iran
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leaders → make → talks
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Russia → help → Pakistan
The visit comes a day after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held talks in Tehran, and two weeks after Pakistan and its allies agreed to accelerate the deployment of forces to Saudi Arabia, which has come under repeated attacks from the Iran-backed Houthi armed group in Yemen.
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which → come → Yemen
The Russian foreign minister met Araghchi and President Masoud Pezeshkian, and the talks covered the war, the Strait of Hormuz and efforts to end the fighting.
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talks → meet → fighting
“The timing of [Munir’s] visit, following Lavrov’s presence in Tehran, suggests that Iran prefers to keep multiple diplomatic channels open, rather than relying exclusively on a single mediator,” Seyed Mojtaba Jalazadeh, a Tehran-based foreign policy analyst, told Al Jazeera.
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Jalazadeh → follow → Jazeera
But the Munir visit also comes at a time when some experts have warned of growing signs that United States President Donald Trump might be preparing for a return to fighting with Iran.
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Trump → come → Iran
Trump rejected an Iranian proposal to end the war on September 26.
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Trump → reject → September
Since then, the US has deployed an additional aircraft carrier to the Middle East, which is expected to arrive by late November.
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which → deploy → November
Trump has endorsed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel’s upcoming October 27 election, referring to their shared mission in attacking Iran.
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Trump → endorse → Iran
Trump said that if Netanyahu were not re-elected, the US would need to attack Iran on its own.
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US → say → own
Analysts say these developments add urgency to diplomatic efforts to sidestep a potential military escalation.
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developments → say → escalation
In recent weeks, Qatar has played a key role in channeling proposals between the US and Iran.
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Qatar → play → US
Andreas Krieg, an associate professor in security studies at King’s College London, told Al Jazeera that while Qatar increasingly provides the diplomatic machinery behind the talks, Doha still values Islamabad’s access to Washington and Tehran.
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Doha → tell → Washington
“Pakistan offers political access, particularly through Field Marshal Asim Munir, while Qatar does much of the detailed negotiating,” Krieg said.
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Krieg → offer → negotiating
The Islamabad MoU
Pakistan has mediated between Washington and Tehran since the US and Israel began striking Iran on February 28.
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US → mediate → February
Islamabad brokered a ceasefire on April 8 and, days later, hosted the highest-level direct engagement between the US and Iran since 1979.
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Islamabad → broker → 1979
In June, the two sides agreed to a 14-point memorandum of understanding (MoU).
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sides → agree → understanding
Under the agreement, the US was to lift its naval blockade within 30 days, the Strait of Hormuz was to reopen, and about $24bn in estimated frozen Iranian assets was to be released in phases over 60 days of further talks, including negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme.
That period expired in mid-August without either side agreeing to extend it.
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side → lift → it
Iran says the US failed to meet its commitments, and Tehran has kept the Strait of Hormuz closed, insisting that Washington first lift the blockade.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office has continued to point to the agreement and its utility.
“The Islamabad MoU is already in place, and some of the points currently under discussion are fully aligned with it,” spokesman Sajjad Haider Khan told a weekly briefing on October 9.
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Khan → say → October
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on October 2 that Iran’s seven-day plan was drawn from the MoU.
Analysts, however, disagree on whether the agreement can still provide a basis for negotiations.
“On the Islamabad MoU, I think it’s done from both sides and perhaps a new mechanism is required to start negotiations,” Umer Karim, an associate fellow at the King Faisal Centre for Research and Islamic Studies in Riyadh, told Al Jazeera.
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Karim → say → Jazeera
Krieg said that while the Islamabad MoU was “politically alive”, it was “operationally dead”.
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it → say → ?
“The circumstances under which it was signed have fundamentally changed,” he said.
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he → sign → which
But Muhammad Faisal, a South Asia security researcher at the University of Technology Sydney, said the agreement could still be used.
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agreement → say → Sydney
“The Islamabad MoU remains usable, even if the political and security environment has deteriorated,” he told Al Jazeera.
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he → remain → Jazeera
“It is still the minimum agreed benchmark between Washington and Tehran, and neither side has an obvious alternative framework for addressing the issues related to maritime access, sanctions relief and nuclear talks.”
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side → agree → access
Meanwhile, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement on August 7.
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Pakistan → sign → August
It was Pakistan’s second defence pact with Saudi Arabia, after the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement the two countries signed in September 2025.
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countries → sign → September
At an emergency meeting in Riyadh on October 5, the three countries agreed to expedite the deployment of forces and capabilities under the pact.
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countries → agree → pact
Within days, Houthi missiles and drones struck Riyadh’s King Khalid international airport more than once, as well as targets in Abha, Yanbu and Shaybah.
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missiles → strike → Abha
Lieutenant-General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, the Pakistani military’s spokesman, discussed the defence pact and the importance of protecting holy sites in Mecca and Medina in an interview with Independent Arabia on October 18.
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Chaudhry → discuss → October
It’s non-negotiable,” he said, referring to Islam’s two holiest mosques.
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he → ’ → mosques
“Whatever support is needed to do that is being provided and will be provided.”
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needed → need → that
He declined to provide details, citing operational confidentiality.
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He → decline → confidentiality
Chaudhry said Pakistan wanted a negotiated end to the conflict.
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Pakistan → say → conflict
“If we are unable to come to a negotiated outcome and we turn into a military conflict, then this collective deterrence, this instrument of collective deterrence of Mecca Alliance will definitely come into play, as it is coming into play,” he said.
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he → come → play
…and 26 more, not listed.
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