Asim Munir emphasized the cessation of Ansar Allah attacks and the revival of negotiations

Field Marshal Asim Munir, the Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan, emphasized two important issues during a phone call with Seyed Abbas Araghchi, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Iran: the cessation of attacks by the Ansar Allah movement of Yemen on Saudi Arabia's energy facilities and efforts to revive direct negotiations between Tehran and Washington. This conversation took place while Araghchi was engaged in diplomatic consultations in Beijing, and Islamabad was also seeking to reduce regional tensions.

Encouraging response from Islamabad

Pakistani government sources described Araghchi's response to Asim Munir's requests as "encouraging," although no further details of this response were provided. This call occurred a day after the claim of intercepting a drone attributed to Ansar Allah near the city of Mecca, which the group has firmly denied.

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Pakistan's concern over security situation

The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan also expressed concern over the security situation in the Bab al-Mandab Strait and called for the cessation of military actions in this strategic route. Islamabad has adhered to its defense commitments to Saudi Arabia, including bilateral and trilateral defense agreements, and emphasized that the current crisis can only be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy.

In this context, the Minister of Defense of Pakistan also warned about the possibility of activating the defense mechanisms of the Mecca agreement, stating that if further attacks on Saudi Arabia occur, this agreement may come into effect. He specifically referred to the protection of the holy sites of Mecca and Medina as a religious duty.

Iran's condition for returning to negotiations

During the call between Munir and Araghchi, the topic of resuming direct negotiations between Iran and the U.S. was also raised. Pakistani sources noted that Araghchi stated that Tehran is ready to return to the negotiating table if U.S. hostilities in the Strait of Hormuz cease and Washington adheres to the "Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding." This condition was raised concurrently with Araghchi's meeting with Wang Yi, the Foreign Minister of China.

The direct negotiations between Iran and the U.S., which had been initiated through Pakistan, had previously stalled due to disagreements over issues such as security guarantees and the status of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. This issue has now again become the focus of regional diplomatic efforts.

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