Pakistan interior minister Mohsin Naqvi visits Tehran amid rising US-Iran tensions

Iran on Monday thanked Pakistan’s military and civilian leadership for its efforts for regional peace and stability. The development came as Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who headed to Tehran earlier in the day, met with Iranian counterpart Eskandar Momeni. According to the interior ministry, the two exchanged views on “Pakistan-Iran bilateral relations and the latest situation in the region”. The statement said the Iranian minister thanked Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for their efforts towards advancing peace in the region. “We are grateful for Pakistan’s continuous efforts to establish peace in the region,” Momeni was cited as saying, adding that the visit from the Pakistani side was “beneficial”. The ministers also reviewed progress on the ongoing cooperation between their interior ministries in various sectors, the statement added. Naqvi, meanwhile, said that “bilateral relations will become even stronger” between Pakistan and Iran in the coming days. Earlier, Iranian media outlets reported that Naqvi had arrived in Tehran and was received at the airport by Momeni. Naqvi’s visit to Tehran comes as Pakistan continues its diplomatic efforts to rescue the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in July between the United States and Iran and intended to end the conflict that began with US-Israeli attacks on Iran in late February. Although Pakistan has been pivotal in facilitating talks and the interim ceasefire over the course of the conflict, Iranian state broadcaster IRIB cited the country’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei as saying on Saturday that Naqvi’s visit would “focus on bilateral relations, and there is no plan to exchange any specific messages regarding mediation”. In July, Naqvi met with Momeni as the latter undertook an official visit to Pakistan, where the two reviewed bilateral relations, trade, regional developments and avenues for cooperation.

Pakistan's Naqvi arrives in Tehran amid looming fears of renewed US-Iran war Pakistan’s interior minister Mohsin Naqvi arrived in Tehran on Monday, where he was received by his Iranian counterpart Eskandar Momeni, Iran’s Tasnim news agency said.  The visit would focus on bilateral ties and reviewing the agreements signed earlier by senior officials of the two countries, Tasnim reported. The visit comes as fears of a renewed US-Iran war are looming amid heightened tensions and the collapse of earlier negotiations. Tensions remain high in the region, but Pakistan and Iran have kept diplomatic contacts and Islamabad has in the past tried to broker dialogue between Tehran and Washington. Since Pakistan began to mediate between Iran and the United States, Naqvi has visited Tehran several times. 

Pakistan interior minister heads to Tehran amid regional tensions Pakistan's interior minister Syed Mohsin Naqvi left Islamabad for Tehran on Monday for talks with Iranian officials, according to Mehr News Agency. The report said that Naqvi's visit will focus on expanding bilateral relations and coordination on matters of mutual interest. Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Saturday the visit would mainly follow up on previous understandings between the two countries, especially decisions made at the leadership level. Pakistan, which has played a mediating role between Iran and the United States, could also raise regional issues during the visit, Baghaei said, but there was no indication Naqvi was carrying a specific message or proposal from Washington. Naqvi has travelled to Tehran several times since Pakistan began its mediation efforts between the two countries.