Since the fragile truce came into effect on April 8 after over a month of conflict, only one session of negotiations, which was unsuccessful, was held on April 11 in Islamabad.
The Chief of the Pakistani Army, Asim Munir, is on his way to Tehran on Friday, according to security sources in Pakistan, which is mediating the negotiations to end the war between Iran and the United States. During his official visit, announced on Thursday by Iranian media, the powerful army chief will have “meetings with Iranian leaders,” according to these security sources.
Since the fragile truce came into effect on April 8 after over a month of conflict, only one session of negotiations, which was unsuccessful, was held on April 11 in Islamabad. Since then, discussions have been ongoing behind the scenes, and on Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed hope that Asim Munir’s visit would “move things forward,” following the earlier visit of Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi. He brought with him the latest American proposal, which the Iranian government said it would consider while reiterating its demands: the unfreezing of Iranian assets blocked abroad and the end of the American blockade of Iranian ports.
Despite these diplomatic efforts, martial declarations continue on both sides. Iran has stated that it will never succumb to “intimidation,” and the Revolutionary Guards, its ideological army, have threatened to extend the war “well beyond the region” in the event of a new American attack. An agreement with Iran would save “a lot of time, energy, and lives,” according to Donald Trump.
The U.S. president is seeking a solution to this unpopular war in his country, which has severely disrupted the global economy due to the near-blockade of the strategic Strait of Hormuz by Tehran, through which a fifth of the world’s crude oil and liquefied natural gas normally passes. Global stock markets were hoping for an agreement, with indices rising on Friday afternoon in the United States and Europe. Timid hopes emerged in the oil market where fears of a supply shortage, particularly with the summer holidays approaching, boosted oil prices.
