Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir reportedly spoke with US President Donald Trump last week, days before his expected talks in Tehran on Monday, as Islamabad sought to mediate between Washington and Tehran amid rising tensions.
The call, which has not been previously reported, came as the US threatened to roll out major economic sanctions targeting Iran and its trade partners, Reuters reported, citing three Pakistani sources.
It was unclear what Munir and Trump discussed.
Munir arrived in Tehran today
Munir arrived in Tehran on Monday for talks with Iranian officials, with Iranian media reporting his visit. Pakistan’s military confirmed the visit, saying it was “part of Pakistan’s efforts to promote regional peace and stability”.
Iranian officials had confirmed the visit on Sunday, saying it was focused on security and peace.
Munir, who has built a personal rapport with Trump, was expected to meet with people close to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei.
US-Iran tensions were a key focus of the visit, according to a Reuters report.
Munir was also expected to discuss recent attacks by Iran-aligned Houthi fighters on Pakistan’s ally Saudi Arabia, as well as the recently signed mutual defence agreement between Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
Pakistan has played a key mediating role between the US and Iran this year and has remained a trading partner of Iran throughout the recent fighting.
US threatens major Iran sanctions
Earlier mediation efforts by Islamabad resulted in an interim peace agreement signed in June.
However, the Islamabad Memorandum quickly faltered amid renewed fighting between Iran and the US, raising concerns about a wider regional conflict.
“There is a trust deficit on both sides,” a third Pakistani source said about the US and Iran, adding that Munir’s aim was to mitigate the lack of mutual trust during his visit.
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Munir’s visit as US rolls out ‘financial offensive’
Munir’s visit came as the US prepared to roll out what Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described as “the greatest financial offensive ever” targeting Iran’s trade partners.
Bessent was due to reveal the measures at a press conference at 1 p.m. EDT (1700 GMT) on Monday. In an opinion piece published in the Financial Times on Sunday, he wrote: “At dawn begins an economic D-Day — the single greatest financial offensive ever marshalled against an adversary.”
The US has threatened economic consequences against countries providing support to Iran. Trump last week warned of consequences for any country that provided “any type of lifeline to Iran” as his administration seeks to isolate the Islamic Republic.
Iran has rejected the US threat, vowing to shut down all oil exports from the Gulf “if the economic war continues”. Tehran also issued a new warning to shipping, saying vessels should not pass through the Strait of Hormuz without its permission.
Iranian officials have said Oman’s foreign minister will visit Tehran on Tuesday to discuss the Strait of Hormuz.
(With inputs from Reuters)
