RAWALPINDI — Pakistan’s military says it is cautiously optimistic about its work to mediate between Iran and the United States, according to a Reuters interview published on Friday.
Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, the military spokesman, spoke in his first interview since a high-level Pakistani delegation visited Tehran this week. He said the military is “cautiously optimistic” about the mediation effort, according to Reuters.
The interview was reported by Reuters journalist Rick Noack on Oct. 30. A report of the interview can be read here.
Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir is Pakistan’s chief mediator in the efforts to lower tensions in the Iran war, which has now lasted eight months, according to Reuters. The war has changed alliances across the region and raised fears of a wider conflict.
Munir has travelled to Tehran twice this month, according to the report. His most recent visit was on Monday, when he went alongside Saudi and Turkish officials. The visit was part of the high-level delegation that travelled to Iran this week, before Chaudhry gave the interview.
Chaudhry was also asked about the defence agreement linked to Mecca. He said the wording of the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement does not bar new members, when he was asked whether Iran could join it, according to Reuters.
The pact has taken on added significance as the Iran war redraws regional alliances, the report said. Chaudhry did not say that Iran would join, only that the wording does not stop new members from joining.
The comments show how Pakistan is trying to play a central role between countries in conflict. Pakistan has kept ties with Iran, the United States, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.
Chaudhry also spoke about the situation at home, including in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, known as KP. The federal government suspended the PTI-led provincial government there on Oct. 11 and detained Chief Minister Sohail Afridi.
The government accused the provincial administration of failing to tackle militancy. PTI rejected the allegations. The party said it took part in counter-terrorism work and called the move a pretext to crush protests.
Asked about larger military-led campaigns in KP, Chaudhry said that was not how the army conducted counter-terrorism, according to Reuters. He did not give details of any new operation in the province.
The background in KP goes back to the general election in February 2024. Independents backed by PTI won most directly elected seats in that election, but they fell short of a majority at the national level.
KP was the only province controlled by PTI. That made it an important base for the party after the 2024 election, and made the Oct. 11 decision a major political step.
Why it matters is clear on two fronts. Abroad, any progress between Iran and the United States could lower the risk from a war that has already lasted eight months. At home, the dispute between the federal government and PTI over KP remains sharp, with both sides giving very different accounts.
What happens next will depend on whether the visits to Tehran lead to further talks, and whether other countries continue to work through Pakistan. For now, the military’s own message, in Chaudhry’s words to Reuters, is one of caution as well as hope.
