White House says Pakistan will mediate possible restart of US-Iran talks

A Pakistani delegation, led by Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, has arrived in Tehran to revive stalled peace talks between the United States and Iran, with Washington confirming that Pakistan remains the sole intermediary in the negotiations. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that while many countries offered to help facilitate communication, the Trump administration prefers to channel all dialogue through Islamabad, describing Pakistan as "the only mediator in this negotiation." The development comes after US-Iran talks held in Pakistan over the weekend failed to produce a decisive outcome, with Iranian officials describing some American demands as "unreasonable and unrealistic." Former Pakistani Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry explicitly stated during an interview that Field Marshal Asim Munir is now serving as the de facto leader of Pakistan, with decision-making authority resting with the Army Chief rather than Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Chaudhry noted that US President Donald Trump had directly named General Munir as Pakistan's leader during recent communications, bypassing the civilian government. Trump also told the New York Post that he expects developments in the Iran negotiations "over the next two days" and indicated the US is "more inclined" to return to the negotiating table. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meanwhile affirmed that Israel and the United States are fully aligned in their objectives regarding Iran, specifically calling for the removal of enriched nuclear material from Iran, the elimination of its enrichment capability, and the reopening of the critical Hormuz Strait. The US military has implemented a naval blockade that it says has cut off maritime trade with Iran, adding pressure to the diplomatic efforts. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi welcomed Munir to Tehran via social media, expressing gratitude for Pakistan's hosting of the initial dialogue and emphasizing the deep bilateral relationship between the two nations.