Top officials from Pakistan and Iran held meetings Friday as part of attempts by Middle East nations to broker peace between Tehran and Washington and prevent new U.S. strikes.
Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Tehran to discuss the fast-moving situation, according to Iran’s Tasnim state media outlet.
Mediators are working frantically to finalize a deal between the U.S. and Iran as President Trump threatens to bombard the Islamic republic if it does not meet his terms for giving up nuclear-weapon ambitions.
Pakistan Army Field Marshal Asim Munir was expected to arrive in Iran before the weekend, and Reuters reported that Qatar, a U.S. ally in the Gulf region, is sending a negotiating team to the Islamic republic.
Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, …
more >
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Pakistan remains the primary mediator, and the U.S. sees the field marshal as a key player.
“We are in constant communication with him,” Mr. Rubio said on the sidelines of NATO meetings in Sweden. “The highest levels of our government are constantly talking to him.”
SEE ALSO: Uranium deadline creates crisis for mediators: Trump threatens ‘very drastic’ action
Middle East allies are eager to avoid a flare-up in the war, since Iran has shown it is willing to strike oil facilities and other targets in the region as retaliation for U.S. strikes.
The U.S. and Israel started the war on Feb. 28 with airstrikes that killed Iran’s top leaders and decimated its military infrastructure. Iran retaliated by clamping down on maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil chokepoint.
Both sides entered a ceasefire in early April. Now mediators are trying to extend the ceasefire or reach a lasting peace.
Mr. Trump says he prefers to reach a diplomatic solution. However, he recently said the “clock is ticking” and Iran needs to get serious about meeting his demands.
The president imposed a blockade of Iranian ports in an attempt to squeeze Iran economically and gain leverage in talks. His main aim is to prevent Iran from gaining nukes, saying global peace depends on it.
Mr. Trump faces pressure at home to wind down the war. Democrats and some Republicans in Congress want to limit his war powers, and gas prices are rising due to higher oil prices.
The U.S. average price of a gallon of gas stood at $4.55 on Friday, up 53% from when the war started, according to the AAA motor club.
Mr. Rubio said he spoke to allies about potential efforts to pry open the Strait of Hormuz.
“We all would love to see an agreement with Iran in which the straits are open and they abandon their nuclear ambitions and so forth,” he told reporters. “We also have to have a plan B.”
He said in that scenario, NATO allies would have to take a bigger role and send missions to reopen the critical waterway.
