Pakistan helps secure Iran ceasefire

Pakistan has inserted itself into the latest effort to keep U.S.-Iran diplomacy alive, with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi arriving in Tehran on May 16 for what Iranian media described as a two-day mission to help restart stalled talks. Iranian outlets said Naqvi’s visit was part of Islamabad’s “ongoing efforts to facilitate talks and promote regional peace,” and Pakistani media said he met Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni in Tehran. The trip comes more than a month after a ceasefire announced on April 9 largely halted fighting that began when U.S. and Israeli forces attacked Iran on February 28. President Donald Trump, speaking on Air Force One, said Washington agreed to the ceasefire “as a favor to Pakistan,” a remark that drew fresh attention to Islamabad’s role. ### Why is Pakistan in the middle of U.S.-Iran diplomacy? Islamabad has been actively mediating between Tehran and Washington, and Pakistani media reported that it hosted a high-stakes meeting between delegations from both sides last month. Iranian state-linked coverage of Naqvi’s trip said the visit was aimed at facilitating dialogue and promoting regional peace. Pakistani reporting said the Tehran stop followed an earlier April trip by Field Marshal Asim Munir and a Pakistani delegation that included Naqvi. (thenews.pk) Eskandar Momeni received Naqvi in Tehran on Saturday, according to Pakistani media, and the two sides discussed regional peace, bilateral ties and possible steps toward reviving negotiations between Tehran and Washington. Pakistani reports said Momeni also praised Munir’s efforts to help ease tensions with the United States. (thenews.pk) ### What exactly did Trump say about Pakistan’s role? Donald Trump said on Friday that the United States had agreed to the ceasefire “at the request of other nations” and added that Washington did it “as a favor to Pakistan,” according to media reports from his remarks aboard Air Force One. Hindustan Times, citing Trump’s comments, said he praised Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir while making the remark. (thenews.pk) The White House has separately described the April truce as part of a broader effort to negotiate with Iran while reopening the Strait of Hormuz. A White House release last month said Iran had agreed to a ceasefire and to reopen the waterway as the administration pursued a wider peace agreement. (hindustantimes.com) ### What was happening in the talks when Naqvi arrived? Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister, said on May 15 that Tehran had received messages from Washington indicating the Trump administration was willing to continue negotiations, according to Pakistani media reports. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s parliament speaker and chief negotiator in the talks described by Pakistani media, said this week that Washington should accept Tehran’s 14-point peace proposal or face “failure.” (whitehouse.gov) The ceasefire has held only imperfectly. Pakistani reporting described it as a truce that largely halted fighting, while also saying negotiations had stalled despite the pause in hostilities. ### Why did the Strait of Hormuz keep pressure on both sides? The Strait of Hormuz typically handles about 20% of the world’s daily oil and liquefied natural gas supply, according to Reuters reporting from April 27. (thenews.pk) Reuters reported that between 125 and 140 ships usually crossed the strait each day before the war began, but only seven had done so in the prior day as of April 27, with none carrying oil bound for the global market. Reuters also reported on April 6 that Brent crude rose 60% in March after Iran effectively shut the strait following the widening conflict. That analysis said some tankers still managed to cross, but energy markets faced what the International Energy Agency described as the world’s biggest energy supply shock yet. (usnews.com) Shipping disruptions persisted even after the truce. Reuters reported on April 27 that six tankers loaded with Iranian oil had been forced back to Iran by the U.S. blockade in recent days, while hundreds of ships and about 20,000 seafarers remained stranded inside the Gulf. ### What happens next in this mediation effort? (al-monitor.com) Naqvi’s trip was described by Iranian media and Pakistani outlets as a two-day official visit, with meetings in Tehran focused on reviving talks between Iran and the United States. Pakistani reporting said the next step under discussion was a restart of negotiations that had stalled after the April 9 ceasefire. (usnews.com) Washington and Tehran have not announced a new formal round of talks. For now, the clearest near-term milestone is the Tehran visit itself, where Naqvi is meeting Iranian officials including Momeni while Pakistan presses both sides to move from the ceasefire back into negotiations. (thenews.pk)