- Naqvi’s visit part of Pakistan’s efforts for Iran-US talks.
- Interior minister to discuss progress on peace dialogue.
- Switzerland says it continues to host Iran-US negotiations.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi landed in Iran on Saturday to hold meetings with senior Iranian officials, as Pakistan works to keep US-Iran negotiations on track following the electronic signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to end the war in the Middle East.
According to Fars news agency, Naqvi landed in Mashhad as part of his Iran visit, where he is scheduled to discuss ongoing negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
Iran’s Foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei had earlier told Isna news agency that “Pakistan’s interior minister will arrive in Iran at noon today, Saturday, as part of Pakistan’s efforts regarding the Iran-US negotiations.”
Naqvi is expected to meet his Iranian counterpart Eskandar Momeni, as well as Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi for talks during the visit, according to Baqaei.
Islamabad, which has been acting as a key mediator between the US and Iran, achieved a historic diplomatic victory on June 15 when US President Donald Trump announced that Washington has signed an MoU with Iran for peace in the region.
Later, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the Islamabad MoU as mediator, formally sealing the historic peace agreement.
According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister Office on June 18, the premier signed the Islamabad MoU as mediator, while US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed the document on behalf of their respective countries.
The two sides were due to hold further talks at Switzerland’s Bürgenstock resort on Friday. However, the Swiss foreign ministry announced their postponement, while reaffirming Switzerland’s readiness to facilitate future negotiations.
The announcement came after a White House spokesperson said that US Vice President JD Vance had pulled out of his planned trip to Switzerland.
The talks were expected to start a 60-day phase of negotiations to implement the preliminary agreement struck between Tehran and Washington.
Before Vance’s announcement, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency said Iranian negotiators needed to see signs of the US implementing the interim deal.
Following the postponement of the talks, the Iranian foreign ministry said there was “no urgency” to meet US negotiators in Switzerland.
“Given that the signing of the text of the MoU was done digitally on June 18, there is no urgency to hold the said meeting in Switzerland, but we are planning to hold a meeting in the coming days,” the spokesperson for the Iranian foreign ministry said.
Meanwhile, the Swiss foreign ministry said that it continues to provide a “discreet and reliable setting” at Bürgenstock to facilitate discussions on implementing the US-Iran MoU.
It added in a statement that no further details would be disclosed about participants and the content of the talks, citing confidentiality.
— With additional input from agencies
