Pakistan minister Mohsin Naqvi lands in Iran

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Saturday reached Iran unannounced – the first visit to the country by any senior Pakistani official after Washington and Tehran signed an agreement aimed at restoring peace in West Asia.

Naqvi reached Mashhad in Iran on Saturday, reported Geo News, without disclosing further details. 

Later, Iranian media reported that Naqvi was on his way to the Capital city, Tehran, to hold talks with senior Iranian officials.

According to the state-owned IRNA news agency, Naqvi, during his visit, will “monitor the ongoing negotiations” between Iran and the US. The US and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) this week, which led to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and marked the beginning of a 60-day negotiation window aimed at restoring peace in West Asia.

Pakistan - the key mediator in the negotiations - is also a signatory to the memorandum as a guarantor.

No official announcement was made in Islamabad about Naqvi’s trip, but it is believed that he would discuss the upcoming technical-level talks between Washington and Tehran, which were expected to begin on June 19, but were postponed. Axios reported on Saturday that White House envoy Steve Witkoff was on his way to Switzerland, where the first round of talks after the MoU signing is expected to take place, with focus on Iran’s nuclear stock. It further cited an unnamed source saying Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is also planning to travel to Switzerland.

Naqvi, who is believed to be close to Pakistan’s Chief of Defence Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, made at least three strategic visits to Iran to bridge diplomatic gaps and resolve differences with the US ahead of the signing of the MoU.