Pakistan’s military says it is “cautiously optimistic” about its efforts to mediate between Iran and the United States, with the country’s top military spokesman pointing to Field Marshal Asim Munir’s two visits to Tehran this month as a sign that the diplomatic push is producing results.
Director-General of Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry made the remarks in an exclusive interview with Reuters in Rawalpindi on Friday, 30 October 2026 — his first interview since a high-level Pakistani delegation travelled to Tehran earlier this week.
The interview is the most direct public signal yet of where Pakistan’s mediation effort stands in the eight-month-old Iran war, and it comes amid growing international attention on Islamabad’s unusual role as the chief channel between Tehran and Washington.
Two Tehran visits in one month
Field Marshal Asim Munir, who Reuters describes as Pakistan’s chief mediator in the efforts to de-escalate the Iran war, has travelled to Tehran twice in October alone. His most recent visit, on Monday 26 October, was a joint trip: Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin travelled with him, and the delegation met senior Iranian officials.
When Reuters asked the DG ISPR whether the repeated visits were a positive sign, his answer was direct: “Why would the Field Marshal be going twice if it is not for some positivity? So yes, of course.”
“The word that we would use is always cautiously optimistic,” the DG ISPR added.
DG ISPR’s warning of “powerful spoilers and detractors”
While the military spokesman struck an upbeat note, he also warned that the mediation faces opposition. Chaudhry said there were still “powerful spoilers and detractors” who believed the conflict served their interests — but he declined to identify them.
Speaking in Rawalpindi, where Pakistan’s armed forces are headquartered, the DG ISPR declined to say what was discussed with the Iranian officials in Tehran, or whether the United States had backed the latest visit.
According to reporting on the trip, Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye agreed on 26 October to continue dialogue aimed at strengthening cooperation on regional peace and security.
Could Iran join the Mecca defence pact?
The Reuters interview also touched on the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, the mutual-defence pact Pakistan signed with Saudi Arabia and Turkiye on 7 August 2026, under which an armed attack on any one signatory is treated as an attack on all.
Asked whether Iran could join the pact, the DG ISPR said the wording of the agreement does not bar new members. He said countries sharing a common vision of regional peace would be welcome — while stressing that any decision on new members would rest with the political leadership of the three founding parties.
The pact has taken on added significance as the Iran war has redrawn regional alliances and raised fears of a broader Middle East conflict.
Why Pakistan’s mediation matters
Pakistan has positioned itself as a rare interlocutor acceptable to both sides. Islamabad hosted talks in April 2026 between a US delegation led by Vice President JD Vance and an Iranian delegation led by parliament speaker Bagher Ghalibaf — one of the few direct diplomatic encounters between the two countries this year.
Analysts say Pakistan’s leverage comes from its geography and relationships: it shares a long border with Iran, maintains working ties with Tehran and Washington, and has now bound itself to Saudi Arabia and Turkiye through the August defence pact. With the war entering its eighth month and ceasefire efforts stalling, Islamabad’s “cautiously optimistic” signal will be watched closely in capitals across the region.
For now, the military’s message is deliberately measured: optimism, but with eyes open. As the DG ISPR put it, the word Pakistan will always use is “cautiously optimistic”.
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