Description: Pakistan’s military chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, met with Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi in Tehran as Pakistan aims to revive the negotiations between the US and Iran to end the war. Munir reportedly conveyed new proposals to Araghchi regarding the US position and potential points of future concession. The latest round of talks delivered no results as both countries based their negotiating demands on polarizing sides. US President Donald Trump I the last couple of days has indicated that negotiations might return to Islamabad within the next couple of days. Pakistan’s foreign minister, Shehbaz Sharif, also commenced a four – day tour across the Gulf, where he would visit Qatar, Saudi Arabia and finish his trip in Turkey as he is also tasked with intensifying pressure around the diplomatic frame to restart the negotiations process. US military assets in the region continued to pile, with additional aircraft carriers, troops and naval destroyers expected to arrive in the Persian Gulf within a week.
Impact: Pakistan’s mediation efforts are strongly contingent on multiple lines of political and diplomatic developments which would likely determine whether the second round of negotiations would actually formalize. If the expected second round of negotiations does formalize but does not produce anything concrete, the US military buildup in the region could materialize towards a renewed offensive, potentially targeting Iran’s critical infrastructure and collapsing the peace initiative entirely. The second round of negotiations would likely happen as some measure of concessions are expected to be at least discussed but without final points of conjecture between the US and Iranian sides. Israel’s invasion in the south parts of Lebanon is a major sticking point as Iran demands the ceasefire to include Lebanon. The nuclear question remains a widely open field of contention where Iran insists to retain the right to enrich uranium while the US aims to completely restrict enrichment at all levels. The Strait of Hormuz remains blocked, although mixed reports have suggested that ships from non – hostile states to Iran are passing freely. The vital maritime chokepoint is another major sticking point which is expected to be discussed.