Pakistan’s diplomatic engagement with Iran demonstrates that its mediation efforts between Tehran and Washington remain active, with Islamabad continuing to pursue negotiations while addressing critical regional security concerns, said Sardar Masood Khan, Former Ambassador of Pakistan to the United States, China and the United Nations, and former President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
Speaking in a television interview, Sardar Masood Khan described Field Marshal Asim Munir’s visit to Tehran as significant for advancing Pakistan’s diplomatic initiatives and sustaining efforts to facilitate an understanding between Iran and the United States. He said the visit reaffirmed Pakistan’s continuing role in the mediation process, countering perceptions that other regional countries had taken over the diplomatic initiative.
He explained that discussions with Iranian leadership focused on two major issues. The first concerned the prospects for negotiations between Iran and the United States, particularly the differences over their respective demands and the conditions required to resume substantive dialogue.
Sardar Masood Khan observed that Iranian leaders had articulated firm positions on nuclear-related matters, economic sanctions and the sequence of negotiations. He noted that Iranian officials had previously demanded an end to what they described as a nuclear siege, implementation of existing commitments, removal of additional economic sanctions and a cessation of hostilities across all fronts before nuclear negotiations could begin.
He said that while some Iranian statements reflected a firm negotiating position, President Masoud Pezeshkian’s tone appeared comparatively constructive. These differences in tone, he suggested, offered important context for understanding Tehran’s approach to negotiations, although substantial differences between the two sides remained.
The second major issue concerned regional security, particularly the possibility of Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia. Sardar Masood Khan said Field Marshal Asim Munir had raised the matter firmly with the Iranian leadership, underscoring Pakistan’s commitments under the Makkah alliance and its responsibility to support Saudi Arabia’s defence.
He recalled that Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had previously expressed readiness for mediation in connection with regional tensions involving Saudi Arabia.