Amid the geopolitical standoff between Washington and Tehran, mediator Pakistan's army chief told Donald Trump that the blockade of Iranian ports is posing a hurdle to the potential second round of talks in Islamabad.
Asim Munir conveyed the message while speaking Trump over phone. Trump, who once said Munir was his "favourite field marshal", reportedly said he would consider his advice.
This comes amid reports that many in the US are wary of Asim Munir's close connections with Tehran. US military affairs commentator Bill Roggio told Fox News Digital referred to Pakistan as a perfidious ally in Afghanistan which helped the Taliban while pretending to be America's friends. "Munir's ties to IRGC should be a massive red flag for the Trump admin," he told the outlet.
Munir was recently on a three-day visit to Tehran, where he met President Masoud Pezeshkian, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and top IRGC officials.
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The two-week ceasefire between Iran and the US will expire on Wednesday. While Trump said US representatives will reach Islamabad for negotiations on Monday, Iran was yet to announce whether it will send a delegation.
During the weekend, the US seized an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel which allegedly tried to evade the blockade of Iranian ports.
Pezeshkian on Monday said Tehran would use every rational and diplomatic path to reduce tensions with the Washington, but asserted that vigilance and distrust in interactions with Washington were
an "undeniable necessity", according to the state news agency IRNA.