Productive visit

Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Field Marshal Asim Munir demonstrated, once again, his meticulous negotiating skills as his short visit to Tehran have reportedly brought warring sides closer to a comprehensive deal. Iran, the US and mediator Pakistan all said that progress had been made in talks on ending the war, as CDF concluded a short yet highly productive official visit to Iran on Saturday, with intensive negotiations yielding encouraging progress towards a final understanding on a peace deal. President Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that an agreement has been largely negotiated, subject to finalisation by the United States and Iran, and that in addition to many other elements the agreement envisages opening of Strait of Hormuz. Tehran also confirmed it was finalising a 14-point framework for a deal, adding a final agreement could be worked out within 30 or 60 days. A Pakistani official involved in negotiations told Reuters that an interim deal to end the Iran war is in its final phase and is “fairly comprehensive”. That something concrete is emerging out of the Pakistan sponsored mediation efforts was confirmed by an unusual conference call of President Trump with important stakeholders – Saudi Crown Prince, the UAE President, Emir of Qatar, Pakistan’s CDF, Turkish President, Egyptian President, King of Jordan and King of Bahrain – centered on broader memorandum of peace involving multiple countries. The participating leaders encouraged Trump to accept a framework agreement with Iran. The US President also had a separate call with the Israeli Prime Minister, which, according to Trump, ‘went very well’. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised President Trump for his extraordinary efforts to pursue peace following the important call with regional leaders in which Field Marshal Asim Munir represented Pakistan. He added that Pakistan will continue its peace efforts with utmost sincerity and expressed hope that next round of talks will be hosted very s