Pakistan PM, army chief wrap up key trips in push for more US-Iran talks

Field Marshal Asim Munir leaves Tehran while premier Shehbaz Sharif heads home from Turkiye amid hopes of another round of US-Iran talks.Pakistan’s army chief and the prime minister have wrapped up separate diplomatic visits aimed at advancing efforts to end the United States-Iran conflict, with Field Marshal Asim Munir leaving Tehran and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif returning from Turkiye.Munir met Iran’s leadership and peace negotiators during a three-day visit to Tehran, a Pakistani military statement said on Saturday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Can Pakistan secure Iran-US nuclear compromise, as Trump says deal ‘close’?list 2 of 4What has Trump said before possible US-Iran talks and what could it mean?list 3 of 4No date set for US-Iran talks, as Pakistan pushes to keep diplomacy alivelist 4 of 4Why many Kashmiris are donating gold, breaking piggy banks for Iranend of listThe visit demonstrated Pakistan’s “unwavering resolve to facilitate a negotiated settlement… and to promote peace, stability and prosperity,” the military said ahead of expected US-Iran talks in Islamabad in the coming days.Munir held talks with the country’s president, foreign minister, parliament speaker and head of Iran’s military central command centre.Parliament Speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, led the Iranian delegation to Islamabad for peace talks with the US last week, the highest level face-to-face contact between Washington and Tehran in decades.Those talks ended without agreement, and a ceasefire is due to expire on April 22.But diplomacy has continued, with Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, visiting Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkiye to push the peace process.His three-country trip concluded on Saturday, with Sharif and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar departing a diplomacy forum in Antalya, according to statements from both officials.“I leave Antalya [Turkish city] with fond memories and a renewed commitment to further strengthening the enduring fraternal bonds between our two nations, and to continuing our close cooperation to advance dialogue and diplomacy for lasting peace and stability in the region,” Sharif posted on X.