Reuters: Trump asked Pakistan to use its influence to bring Iran back to negotiations

Three sources in Pakistan told Reuters that Army Chief Asim Munir spoke to U.S. President Donald Trump last week, days before his visit to the Iranian capital, Tehran, on Monday. One source said the main U.S. request was for Pakistan to leverage its influence to bring Tehran back to the negotiating table. Last week, Trump threatened economic consequences for any country providing any form of lifelines to Iran, as part of his efforts to isolate the Islamic Republic. Two Pakistani sources said the contact last week, which had not been previously disclosed, was initiated by Trump. The Pakistani military said Munir arrived in Tehran on Monday accompanied by Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, noting that this comes as part of Pakistan’s efforts to enhance regional peace and stability. Pakistan, which has played a key mediation role this year between the United States and Iran, has remained a trading partner with Iran throughout the war. One Pakistani source said Munir is expected to meet with individuals close to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, today. Another Pakistani government source said that while U.S.-Iran tensions are a central focus of the visit, Munir is also expected to discuss recent Houthi attacks, backed by Iran, on Saudi Arabia, Pakistan’s ally, as well as the recently signed joint defense agreement between Pakistan, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia. Previous Pakistani mediation efforts between the United States and Iran resulted in a temporary agreement signed in June, but Islamabad’s memorandum quickly stalled amid a resumption of hostilities between Iran and the United States, threatening to escalate the conflict into a broader regional war in recent weeks. A third Pakistani source on the U.S.-Iran situation said, “There is a trust deficit on both sides,” adding that Munir’s objective today is to reduce mutual distrust.