Pakistan pursues nuclear diplomacy breakthrough as army chief holds talks in Tehran

TEHRAN (AA) – Pakistan is actively working toward a significant development on Iran’s nuclear standoff “in the coming days,” as Pakistani Army Chief General Asim Munir conducts direct talks with Iranian leadership — the central sticking point blocking a negotiated resolution with Washington.

Two Pakistani government sources shared these details with Anadolu on condition of anonymity, citing the sensitivity of the ongoing mediation.

Islamabad’s efforts are aimed at building the broadest possible common ground between the U.S. and Iran before a potential new round of negotiations in the Pakistani capital.

A key element of the proposal involves third-party oversight of Iran’s nuclear program by a four-nation group operating alongside the International Atomic Energy Agency — an arrangement Tehran has reportedly accepted in principle, raising no objections to IAEA involvement.

Washington has yet to formally respond to the proposal, and the identities of the four prospective monitoring nations have not been disclosed.

The U.S. has long pushed for rigorous and wide-ranging verification measures to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, with its current priority being a suspension of uranium enrichment for at least two decades in return for sanctions relief.

Iran, for its part, has proposed a far shorter suspension of up to five years, and is reported to currently hold over 400 kilograms of enriched uranium.

Munir eyes Washington visit

Following his exchanges in Tehran, General Munir is expected to travel to Washington within a day or two to brief U.S. President Donald Trump on Islamabad’s proposals.

No official confirmation of the visit has been issued. Technical teams from both the US and Iran are reportedly in continuous contact in a bid to narrow remaining gaps before a follow-up meeting — one that both sides hope will culminate in a formal agreement rather than another round of inconclusive talks.

Sources suggested that the final framework could blend the four-nation monitoring concept with US demands, and that a ten-year enrichment moratorium might serve as a compromise between Washington’s twenty-year demand and Tehran’s five-year offer.

Greater clarity is expected after Munir’s anticipated U.S. visit.

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi confirmed that the nuclear question featured prominently in ongoing discussions, while declining to reveal the positions of any party, citing the trust placed in Islamabad as a mediator.

He also confirmed that no date or venue has been set for a new round of direct talks, though the White House has indicated it expects any future meeting to take place in Islamabad.

Broader context

Pakistan stepped into a central diplomatic role after brokering a two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran on April 8, followed by high-level direct talks in Islamabad — the most significant face-to-face engagement between the two countries since 1979.

While those talks fell short of a breakthrough, the ceasefire continues to hold and momentum toward another round of negotiations is building.

The conflict, which began when the U.S. and Israel launched a joint military campaign against Iran on February 28, has so far claimed over 3,300 Iranian lives, displaced hundreds of thousands, and cost the US at least 13 soldiers killed with hundreds more wounded.