Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met for a second day in Mashhad, a city in northeastern Iran. After Araghchi arrived in the city, Naqvi met with his Iranian counterpart at Shahid Hasheminejad International Airport.
The meeting in Mashhad took place as mediation efforts to end the war between Iran and the United States continued. Pakistan is continuing its diplomatic initiatives to help establish dialogue between the two countries.
The duration of the 60-day ceasefire is under discussion
The 60-day ceasefire established between Iran and the United States under Pakistan’s mediation is expected to end on August 17. Pakistani government sources said the parties had agreed to extend the ceasefire, but talks on how long the extension would last were continuing.
Araghchi and Naqvi’s second meeting in Mashhad took place after the two ministers discussed diplomatic and bilateral relations in Tehran the previous day.
Pakistan and Qatar played a role in mediation
Naqvi’s visit to Iran took place as part of Pakistan’s efforts to facilitate dialogue between Iran and the United States. About a month earlier, Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni had also traveled to Islamabad to meet his Pakistani counterpart.
Along with Qatar, Pakistan mediated the preparation of a memorandum of understanding in June concerning the ceasefire process between Iran and the United States. Iran and the United States had reached a ceasefire agreement in April under Pakistan’s mediation. The two countries began negotiations toward a final agreement under the memorandum signed on June 17.
Security guarantees and the Strait of Hormuz dispute
Negotiations between Iran and the United States later stalled over disagreements regarding security guarantees and freedom of passage through the Strait of Hormuz, which is strategically important for global energy supplies and trade.
Mutual military attacks were carried out between the United States and Iran from July 8 to 24. Washington carried out attacks on targets in Iranian territory, while Tehran said it had targeted U.S. military facilities and equipment in several Arab countries, including Jordan, Bahrain and Kuwait.
