After weeks of war, threats and uncertain diplomacy, Field Marshal Asim Munir’s official visit to Iran – his second in little more than a month – has come as the clearest sign yet that the US and Iran may be inching towards a peace framework. The army chief is expected to discuss US-Iran talks and regional peace as he meets senior Iranian officials. That the writing on the wall points to an early-stage diplomatic framework focused on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, resuming talks, avoiding attacks on civilian and economic infrastructure, reducing hostile rhetoric and offering phased sanctions relief, potentially under the title of an Islamabad Declaration, would go down as a manifestation of Pakistan’s untiring efforts to pull two sworn adversaries back from the brink. Equally undeniable has been the influence of the chief himself, whose close equation with President Trump and sustained engagement with regional capitals have helped Pakistan’s civilian leadership keep channels open despite every possible spanner thrown by spoilers.
These pages have repeatedly argued that Pakistan’s interest in mediation, now acknowledged by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio through Washington’s engagement with Islamabad as a key interlocutor, is not ornamental. It is rooted in geography and necessity. A wider conflict would strike at Pakistan’s economy through energy flows, remittances, trade routes and regional security.
Still, this opening should not be confused with a settlement. Washington’s concerns over Iran’s enrichment activity, missile programme and regional proxies remain serious. Tehran’s anxieties about sanctions, regime security and external pressure are equally central to any durable bargain. Neither side can be talked into peace through atmospherics alone.
This is where Pakistan must be (as it has already been) very careful. Mediation is not a trophy. It is a responsibility. Islamabad has every reason to help prevent a wider war and therefore, its role should be to keep channels open, work with Qatar, Saudi Arabia and other regional stakeholders, and press both sides towards measurable de-escalation.
Washington, meanwhile, would do well to remember that any military drift would only strengthen hardliners, punish civilians, unsettle Gulf allies and expose energy markets to another shock.
Pakistan has done well to keep diplomacy alive. The real test is whether this opening can silence the guns and force the difficult questions onto the table. *