Pakistan ‘Cautiously Optimistic’ About Iran-US Mediation

Pakistan’s military is “cautiously optimistic” about its mediation efforts between Iran and the United States, military spokesman Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said in an interview with Reuters on Friday.

Speaking in Rawalpindi in his first interview since a high-level Pakistani delegation visited Tehran this week, Chaudhry described Field Marshal Asim Munir’s repeated visits to Iran as a positive sign.

“Why would the Field Marshal be going twice if it is not for some positivity? So yes, of course,” he said.

“The word that we would use is always cautiously optimistic,” Chaudhry added, while warning that there were still “powerful spoilers and detractors” who believed the conflict served their interests.

He declined to disclose details of the Tehran discussions or say whether Washington had backed the diplomatic mission.

Defence Pact Does Not Rule Out Iran’s Membership

Asked whether Iran could join the trilateral defence agreement, Chaudhry said its wording did not prevent new members from joining.

“Anyone who has a shared vision of collective deterrence and regional peace, why not? Everyone is most welcome,” he said, adding that the decision would rest with the political leadership of the three founding countries.

Pakistan Reaffirms Commitment to Saudi Arabia

Asked whether Pakistan was sending additional troops to Saudi Arabia under the defence agreement, Chaudhry said any such deployment would depend on the prevailing situation and decisions by the political leadership of both countries.

He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to defending Saudi Arabia and the holy sites of Mecca and Medina.

“We are not part of the Yemeni conflict, which is an intra-Yemen conflict,” he said.