Pakistani army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir arrived in Tehran with a delegation of officials, Iranian state television reported on October 20.
It is Munir's fifth visit to Iran since the June agreement Pakistan brokered, which later collapsed, and follows his August 23 visit carrying a US-drafted framework on Hormuz. Talks remain stalled over the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's nuclear programme.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said the meetings relate to the negotiations but focus mainly on bilateral relations and cooperation. He said Iran cannot rule out renewed fighting with the US and called reports that Washington could strike the Pickaxe Mountain site without retaliation a claim.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday blamed the US for insecurity in the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has tried to blockade during the war launched by the US and Israel in February. Tehran says the June memorandum remains the basis for any peace deal. The US has not struck Iran since September.
The June deal followed a Pakistan-brokered ceasefire that began on April 8 and talks in Islamabad on April 11 and 12 that ended without agreement. Under its reported terms, Washington would lift its naval blockade within 30 days, Hormuz would reopen to normal transit, and about $24bn of frozen Iranian assets would be released in phases over 60 days of further talks that would also address Iran's nuclear programme. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif credited Munir with keeping the negotiations alive at moments of near collapse.
Iran has since proposed reopening Hormuz within seven days in return for the lifting of the US maritime blockade, eased oil export restrictions and the release of frozen assets, with nuclear talks to follow, according to The National. US President Donald Trump has said Washington will not strike Iran again before the November 3 midterm elections. Reuters quoted Iranian officials as saying Tehran is deliberately prolonging the talks to weaken Trump before the vote and that a breakthrough before then is unlikely.
Fars linked the visit to rising oil prices, with crude nearing $110 a barrel, and cited a source as saying earlier mediator visits helped lower prices but produced no significant progress in the negotiations.
The regional backdrop has also darkened. Yemen's Houthis recently launched missile and drone attacks on Saudi energy and civilian infrastructure, and Pakistan, which has a defence pact with Saudi Arabia, has pledged to support the kingdom's security.
Munir holds the rank of field marshal and has led Pakistan's contacts with both Tehran and Washington. Islamabad offered itself as a venue for direct US-Iran talks in March and hosted the April round. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visited Tehran on October 19, a day before Munir.