Pakistan mediates Iran‑US contacts

Pakistan has moved from offering good offices to carrying messages between Tehran and Washington. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi traveled to Tehran on May 17 and met President Masoud Pezeshkian, Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni and parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, according to Pakistani and regional media reports. Pakistani officials told multiple outlets that Islamabad relayed a revised Iranian proposal to the United States as efforts continued to keep indirect ceasefire negotiations from breaking down. The trip followed weeks of Pakistani shuttle diplomacy that had already included contacts with U.S. officials and earlier visits to Iran by army chief Asim Munir. ### Why was Mohsin Naqvi in Tehran? Mohsin Naqvi’s Tehran visit was presented by Pakistani outlets as part of mediation over U.S.-Iran contacts. Pakistan Today reported that Naqvi held nearly 90 minutes of talks with Pezeshkian and that the discussions covered regional security, the ceasefire effort and prospects for restarting U.S.-Iran negotiations. Arab News separately reported that Naqvi also met Ghalibaf as both sides discussed resuming talks with Washington. (pakistantoday.com.pk) The meetings fit a pattern established in April. The Hindu reported on April 23 that Naqvi discussed efforts for a second round of U.S.-Iran talks with U.S. Charge d’Affaires Natalie Baker in Islamabad, while Al Jazeera and The Hindu reported in mid-April that army chief Asim Munir had traveled to Tehran for related talks. ### What exactly is Pakistan saying it carried? (pakistantoday.com.pk) Pakistani officials said a revised Iranian proposal was conveyed to Washington through Islamabad. The sourcing in regional coverage points to Pakistan acting as an intermediary rather than a direct negotiator, with the substance described as an updated Iranian response tied to ending hostilities and preserving the diplomatic track. Al Jazeera reported on May 10 that Iran’s response to a U.S. proposal had been sent via mediator Pakistan, citing Iran’s state news agency IRNA. (thehindu.com) That claim matters because it shows the channel is active on both sides. Pakistani and Iranian reporting described Islamabad as the route for passing messages after direct communication stalled, while The Hindu’s April 23 report showed Pakistani officials in parallel contact with the U.S. mission in Islamabad. ### How did Pakistan get into this role? (aljazeera.com) April 11 was the date of the first round of U.S.-Iran talks in Islamabad, according to Al Jazeera’s profile of the negotiating teams. That report said U.S. Vice President JD Vance led the American delegation and identified Ghalibaf as a central Iranian participant in the first round. Subsequent reporting described Pakistan’s role expanding as the talks became more fragile. (thehindu.com) Al Jazeera said Pakistani mediators had been pushing for a breakthrough on Iran’s nuclear program in April, and later reported that Pakistan transmitted Iran’s response to a U.S. proposal in May. Pakistan Today and Arab News then framed Naqvi’s latest Tehran meetings as part of the same mediation track. (aljazeera.com) ### Why is Islamabad talking about India at the same time? Khawaja Asif, Pakistan’s defense minister, warned on May 18 that India would face severe consequences for any future military “misadventure,” according to Pakistan Today. The warning came as Pakistani officials were also highlighting their diplomatic role with Iran and the United States. The India messaging draws on the aftermath of the Pahalgam confrontation. (aljazeera.com) Pakistan Today and earlier regional coverage tied Asif’s comments to tensions that followed the April 22, 2025 attack in Pahalgam and the clashes that ended with a May 10 ceasefire. Islamabad is therefore presenting two tracks at once: deterrence toward India and mediation with Iran and the United States. (pakistantoday.com.pk) ### What should readers watch next? Washington’s response to the revised Iranian proposal is the next concrete test of Pakistan’s role. None of the reports reviewed here said the United States had publicly accepted the revised terms as of May 19. A second marker is whether another round of indirect U.S.-Iran talks is formally scheduled in Islamabad or elsewhere. The recent sequence has included April contacts with U.S. diplomats in Islamabad, May message-passing through Pakistan, and Naqvi’s May 17 meetings in Tehran with Pezeshkian, Momeni and Ghalibaf. (pakistantoday.com.pk) (thehindu.com) (aljazeera.com)