Islamabad, May 17: Pakistan Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s previously unannounced visit to Tehran was linked by Pakistani and Iranian media to Islamabad’s continuing efforts to revive the stalled Iran-US peace process amid persistent tensions in West Asia.
Dawn newspaper, quoting unnamed diplomatic sources, reported on Sunday that Naqvi’s two-day visit came after US President Donald Trump rejected Tehran’s latest response to American proposals.
It also said that Pakistan was continuing shuttle diplomacy aimed at preventing the negotiations from collapsing entirely after momentum generated by earlier rounds of talks in Islamabad slowed sharply.
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency also described Naqvi’s trip as part of Pakistan’s “ongoing efforts to facilitate dialogue and promote regional peace”.
The visit, officially framed around bilateral and border security cooperation, came as the fragile ceasefire brokered earlier through Pakistani mediation continued to hold unevenly amid intermittent tensions around the Strait of Hormuz and prolonged disruption to global energy shipping.
Naqvi, who arrived in Tehran on Saturday, is expected to hold meetings with senior Iranian officials during the visit to cover both bilateral security matters and the wider regional situation. He met his Iranian counterpart Eskandar Momeni soon after landing.
According to Tasnim News Agency, the two interior ministers discussed Iran-Pakistan relations, regional developments and “the prospects for the resumption of peace negotiations” between Iran and the US.
Iran’s official news agency IRNA reported that the two sides also discussed border trade, transit, exchange of goods and bilateral cooperation, while describing the recent high-level contacts between Tehran and Islamabad as part of intensified consultations following the Pakistan-mediated ceasefire.
The visit came hot on the heels of Trump’s trip to Beijing and his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, which produced no visible breakthrough on the ongoing conflict despite speculation beforehand that Beijing could quietly encourage Tehran toward compromise.
Analysts noted that Trump returned from Beijing still publicly emphasising coercive leverage, while simultaneously indicating limited flexibility on enrichment timelines.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said he could accept a 20-year suspension of Iran’s nuclear activity if they provided what he described as a “real” guarantee, appearing to signal some flexibility from Washington’s earlier demands for a permanent end of Iran’s nuclear programme.
At the same time, the American leader dismissed Tehran’s latest proposal in blunt terms and complained that Iranian officials were backtracking on earlier understandings regarding the handling of highly enriched uranium stockpiles.
The deadlock has reinforced concerns that the negotiations are increasingly moving into a prolonged phase of simultaneous diplomacy and pressure rather than toward any imminent comprehensive settlement.
According to Iranian media reports cited by the Dawn newspaper, at least 1,260 people were killed in Tehran and more than 2,800 were injured in the US and Israeli attacks. Tehran’s municipal government also said that 51,000 residential housing units were damaged, along with 10,733 cars and 754 motorcycles.
Despite formidable hurdles that have so far stalled efforts for peace, Pakistan has continued to push for a negotiated settlement and Naqvi’s visit is being viewed as significant, given his closeness to Field Marshal Asim Munir.
Naqvi was part of a delegation led by Munir that visited Tehran last month when Iran-US negotiations were a major focus of the trip. (PTI)
