Pakistan military 'cautiously optimistic' on Iran-US mediation

Pakistan's chief mediator in its efforts to de-escalate the now eight-month-old Iran war has been to Tehran twice this month, most recently on Monday alongside Saudi and Turkish officials.

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan’s military is “cautiously optimistic” about its mediation between Iran and the United States, its spokesman said on Friday (Oct 30) in his first interview since a high-level delegation visited Tehran this week.

Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir - Pakistan's chief mediator in its efforts to de-escalate the now eight-month-old Iran war - has been to Tehran twice this month, most recently on Monday alongside Saudi and Turkish officials.

“Why would the Field Marshal be going twice if it is not for some positivity? So yes, of course,” spokesman Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said when asked whether the trips were a positive sign.

“The word that we would use is always cautiously optimistic,” added Chaudhry, director general of Inter-Services Public Relations.

CNA Games Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less There were still "powerful spoilers and detractors" who believed conflict serves them, he added without naming them.

Speaking in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, where Pakistan's armed forces are headquartered, Chaudhry declined to say what was discussed or whether the United States had backed the trip.

Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin joined Munir in Tehran on Monday.

Their two countries signed a joint defence pact with Pakistan on Aug 7, saying an attack on any signatory will be treated as an attack on all.

The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement has taken on added significance as the Iran war has redrawn regional alliances and raised fears of a broader Middle East conflict.

While the three signatories say the agreement is aimed at collective deterrence and regional security, analysts see its evolution as closely tied to efforts by regional powers to manage the fallout from the Iran-US confrontation.

After Monday’s talks, Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said regional security should be ensured by regional countries without foreign intervention.