Pakistan Mediation in Iran-US War Shows Progress Amid Tehran’s Internal Rifts

Pakistan’s top military and civilian envoys reported “significant progress” after a day of high-stakes talks in Tehran on August 24, aimed at ending the six-month-old US-Israel war on Iran. But the breakthrough, announced on August 25 by the Pakistani military, masks a deep internal divide within Iran’s leadership that could still derail any ceasefire, analysts say.

Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Pakistan’s army chief, and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi shuttled between the offices of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei. According to a Pakistani military statement, the discussions focused on “measures to prevent further escalation, reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and expedited termination of the conflict” Source 1.

Naqvi posted on X that both sides reviewed steps to restore the “Islamabad MoU” – an interim framework brokered by Pakistan earlier in the war – and that President Pezeshkian had shared Iran’s concerns “openly.” The meeting, Naqvi wrote, “concluded on a highly positive note” Source 1.

Yet the same day’s events in Tehran also laid bare the friction between Iran’s elected president and its uniformed military brass. Days before Munir’s visit, Pezeshkian told a gathering of doctors that “it is better that we bring the war to an end now as we are in a position of power and dignity.” Hours later, Major-General Ali Abdollahi, chief of the general staff of Iran’s armed forces, promised “revolutionary, crushing, regret-inducing and devastating” responses to any American miscalculation Source 2.

Analysts say Munir’s true test as mediator lies not in winning over Iran’s civilian leadership, but in using his standing as one of the region’s most powerful military figures to convince Iranian generals to return to the negotiating table. His most significant meeting on Monday may have been with General Mohsen Rezaei, a representative of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who holds ultimate authority over the armed forces Source 2.

For readers following the war in Ukraine, the Iran-US conflict has already reshaped global energy markets and diverted Washington’s military and diplomatic bandwidth. Any progress toward a ceasefire in the Gulf could free up American attention and resources – a shift that Kyiv would closely watch. But the path remains uncertain: the Pakistani statement offered no specifics on what “significant progress” actually means, and neither the United States nor Israel have commented on the talks.

The Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil passes, has been effectively closed since the war began, sending energy prices soaring. Reopening it would be a major economic prize for both sides. But Iran’s military leadership, which has invested heavily in the conflict, shows little appetite for a quick exit.

Pakistan, a nuclear-armed state with close ties to both Iran and Saudi Arabia, has positioned itself as a natural mediator. Munir’s visit to Tehran was his second in recent months, and Islamabad is clearly eager to claim a diplomatic win. Whether the momentum from the August 24 talks can be sustained will depend on whether Munir can bridge the gap between Pezeshkian’s desire for a deal and the Iranian military’s insistence on fighting on.