Pak Army chief holds talks with top Iran leaders amid efforts to bring peace in West Asia

Pakistan's Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, who is in Tehran, amid discussions to end the West Asia conflict, has held talks separately with Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, local media reported Saturday.

Munir flew to Tehran on Friday for a crucial visit to expedite efforts for a peace deal between the US and Iran, said the Pakistan army, adding that the visit was ''part of ongoing mediation efforts''.

He was received in Tehran by Iran's Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni.

Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi – believed to be close to Munir – was already in Tehran and engaging with top Iranian officials when the field marshal landed there. This is Munir's second trip to Tehran in just over a month.

According to a statement issued by Iran's government, Munir met Araghchi on Friday to ''discuss diplomatic efforts aimed at preventing further escalation and promoting peace, stability, and security in West Asia''.

Iran's state-run IRNA news agency reported that talks between the two leaders went late into the night.

On Saturday, the field marshal held talks with President Pezeshkian. ''The two sides discussed bilateral relations between Iran and Pakistan, as well as regional developments and ways to strengthen cooperation in various fields,'' Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency said.

According to the news agency, Munir also met Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf separately on Saturday – and their talks ''focused on regional and bilateral issues''.

Islamabad has not specifically commented on these meetings.

Pakistan has emerged as a mediator in the West Asia conflict, which has triggered severe energy shortages and impacted economies across the world. Several analysts say that Islamabad enjoys the confidence of both Tehran and Washington.

Islamabad hosted senior leaders of both sides last month for talks, the first of its kind since 1979, but the parties failed to clinch a peace deal.

The key sticking points are Iran's nuclear programme and control over the Strait of Hormuz, which hosts roughly one-fifth of the world's energy supplies in normal times. Shippings through the Strait have been severely disrupted since February 28, when the US and Israel launched joint attacks on Iran, triggering retaliatory strikes.

The disruptions continue even though a fragile ceasefire has been in place since April 8.

The developments come at a time when, according to a report in US media outlet Axios, President Donald Trump is ''seriously considering'' launching fresh strikes against Iran if last-minute negotiations do not result in a peace deal.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)