ISLAMABAD: Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni on Monday arrived in Islamabad along with a high-level delegation, the Pakistani interior ministry said, as Islamabad seeks to diplomatically resolve the United States-Iran conflict after renewed military escalation between both sides in the Middle East.
Pakistan hosted direct talks between US and Iranian officials in April and maintained contacts with both sides behind the scenes before helping broker the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding in June alongside Qatar.
The agreement committed Washington and Tehran to halt hostilities and launch negotiations on broader disputes. It was followed by talks in Bürgenstock, Switzerland, where officials established a High-Level Committee and adopted a 60-day roadmap for negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program, sanctions relief and a dispute-resolution mechanism.
That process has since come under pressure following renewed fighting and competing accusations by Washington and Tehran that the other side violated the agreement. Pakistan has nevertheless maintained that diplomatic channels remain open and that it will continue efforts to facilitate dialogue.
“I hope that Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni has brought good news,” Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi was quoted as saying by his ministry upon welcoming his Iranian counterpart on arrival in Islamabad.
“I also hope for progress on the regional situation,” Naqvi added.
The Iranian interior minister is accompanied by a high-level delegation, including the governor-general of Sistan and Baluchestan province, deputy interior minister, deputy minister of urban development and transport and head of the National Iranian Oil Company, according to the Pakistani interior ministry.
Momeni will meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Defense Forces Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir during the visit.
The visit highlights Pakistan’s increasingly delicate diplomatic position in the region. While Islamabad has sought to position itself as a mediator between Tehran and Washington, it also maintains a longstanding strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia, including security cooperation under a mutual defense framework.
Renewed attacks by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement on Saudi Arabia have raised concerns of a broader regional conflict that could complicate Pakistan’s balancing act between Iran and Riyadh.
Islamabad has repeatedly called for restraint by all sides and said dialogue remains the only viable path to preventing a wider regional conflict.
Momeni’s visit also reflects growing bilateral engagement between Islamabad and Tehran. He and Naqvi have met several times in recent months to discuss border security, counterterrorism cooperation, immigration and cross-border trade, with both sides seeking closer coordination along their shared frontier.
“It is a great pleasure to meet my brother Mohsin Naqvi again,” Momeni was quoted as saying by the Pakistani interior ministry. “I have always appreciated the hospitality of the Pakistani government and people.”
