Pakistan's military chief Field Marshal Asim Munir arrived in Tehran on Tuesday with a delegation of Pakistani officials to meet senior Iranian officials, Iran’s semi-official Mehr News Agency reported.
Munir's first meeting was with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Iran's official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaei, were also slated to meet with Munir during his visit, Iran's official West Asia News Agency (WANA) reported.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei responded to a question about the purpose of Munir's visit and whether the Pakistani military chief might "deliver a political message or raise military issues."
Baghaei emphasized that Tehran and Islamabad's relations are important, and that the meetings would primarily focus on bilateral relations and strengthening cooperation, WANA reported. However, Baghaei noted that he was "unaware of the specific agenda" of Munir's visit, and would need to speak with the field marshal to determine which topics would be discussed, WANA added.
Pakistan continues to position itself as key mediator between Washington, Tehran
Pakistan has played a key mediating role between the US and Iran this year.
The scheduled visit follows earlier summer talks between Munir and Iranian leaders that focused on measures to prevent further escalation, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and expedite the termination of the conflict.
Meanwhile, Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar said that "Pakistan believes dialogue and diplomacy are the most effective means of resolving regional tensions," during an address at the 25th meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on Tuesday.
Dar also said that Pakistan would continue to mediate efforts between Iran and the US and support all initiatives aimed at promoting dialogue and resolving disputes peacefully to achieve lasting peace and stability, Iranian state media reported.
Araghchi and Pezeshkian also met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov earlier this week.