CDF Asim Munir meets Iran’s Parliament Speaker Bagher Ghalibaf in Tehran

The Chief of Defense (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir met with Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf in Tehran on Thursday. Press TV reported on X.

CDF Munir arrived in Tehran on Wednesday as part of ongoing peace negotiation efforts in the Middle East. He was part of a delegation that also included Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi received the delegation, Inter Services Public Relations ISPR said in a statement.

Araghchi said he was “delighted” to welcome the field marshal on his visit. “Expressed gratitude to Pakistan’s gracious host for the dialogue, emphasizing that it reflects our deep and great bilateral relationship. Our commitment to promoting peace and stability in the region remains strong – and shared”.

The delegation later held a meeting with FM Araghchi and other Iranian officials.

Iran had previously said it continued to exchange messages with Washington through Pakistani mediators.

“Exchanges of messages continue” regarding negotiations with the United States, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said in a news briefing quoted by the state news agency IRNA.

“Since Sunday, when the Iranian delegation returned to Tehran, several messages have been exchanged through the Pakistani intermediary,” he said, adding: “Our positions have been conveyed and heard.”

On the nuclear issue, the spokesman said discussions about uranium enrichment are not new. “There is room for discussion about the type and level of enrichment,” he said. “The Islamic Republic of Iran must be able to continue enrichment based on its national needs,” he added.

The United States and Iran held rare direct talks in Pakistan last weekend aimed at ending their conflict, but the talks ended early Sunday without any agreement.

On 11 April, US and Iranian delegations arrived in Pakistan for final talks following a two-week immediate ceasefire “everywhere, including Lebanon”, announced by Prime Minister Shehbaz, who later invited delegations from both countries to Islamabad.

Read more: No final date for the second round of negotiations between the US and Iran: FO

Both sides were unable to reach an agreement to end their war despite marathon talks that lasted about 21 hours in Islamabad over the weekend. The protracted talks, aimed at ending hostilities that have killed thousands and driven up global oil prices over the past six weeks, ended with both sides blaming each other for the impasse.

The United States and Israel launched a joint offensive against Iran on February 28, killing thousands of people in Iran, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and leaving tens of thousands injured, with civilian areas, including residential buildings and religious sites, among those affected.

The conflict also expanded geographically. Iran retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel as well as Jordan, Iraq and Gulf countries that host US military assets. It also restricted the movement of ships through the Strait of Hormuz.