Pakistan’s military says it is “cautiously optimistic” that mediation between Iran and the United States can help revive a ceasefire in the eight-month-old war, as regional countries work to calm the conflict. Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, the spokesman for Pakistan’s armed forces, said on Friday that there were positive signs in efforts to de-escalate the fighting.
His remarks were the first from the military since a high-level delegation travelled to Tehran this week. They also came as Qatari mediators arrived in the Iranian capital in another apparent attempt to restore a June ceasefire that later collapsed.
Munir’s Tehran trips and the Saudi and Turkish role
Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, Pakistan’s chief mediator, has travelled to Tehran twice this month, most recently on Monday. He was accompanied on that visit by Saudi and Turkish officials, including Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin.
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Asked whether the trips signalled progress, Chaudhry replied: “Why would the Field Marshal be going twice if it is not for some positivity? So yes, of course.” He added that “the word that we would use is always cautiously optimistic.” He declined to say what was discussed in Tehran or whether Washington had backed the visit.
Warnings about spoilers and the Mecca defence pact
Chaudhry also warned that parties seeking to obstruct mediation between Washington and Tehran are still active. He referred to “powerful spoilers and detractors” who believe the conflict serves them, but did not name them. He spoke in Rawalpindi, the garrison city where Pakistan’s armed forces are headquartered.
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey signed a joint defence pact on August 7, under which an attack on any signatory will be treated as an attack on all. The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement has gained weight as the Iran war reshapes regional alliances and raises fears of a broader Middle East conflict. The three signatories say it is meant for collective deterrence and regional security, while analysts link its development to regional powers managing the fallout from the Iran-US confrontation.
Pact membership, troops and the Yemen conflict
After Monday’s talks, Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said regional security should be ensured by regional countries without foreign intervention. Asked whether Iran could join the pact, Chaudhry said its wording does not bar new members. “Anyone who has a shared vision of collective deterrence and regional peace, why not? Everyone is most welcome,” he said, adding that the decision rested with the political leadership of the three principal parties.
Chaudhry said any decision to send more Pakistani troops to Saudi Arabia under the agreement would depend on the situation and the wishes of both countries’ political leadership. He said Pakistan was committed to defending Saudi Arabia and the holy sites of Mecca and Medina. “We are not part of the Yemeni conflict, which is an intra-Yemen conflict,” he added.
Fighting between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group has been reignited by the Iran conflict, stoking fears of a wider war.
