The US and Iran have almost reached a framework agreement to end the conflict. Pakistani General Munir has meanwhile traveled to Tehran to promote a new round of talks
Is the diplomatic stalemate over the Iranian crisis starting to break down? Quoting US officials, Axios reported that “on Tuesday, US and Iranian negotiators made progress in talks, moving closer to a framework agreement to end the war.”
Meanwhile, the head of the Pakistan Defense Forces, Asim Munir, arrived in Tehran to meet with the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic, Abbas Aragchi. According to local media, the two are expected to talk about “issues related to the second round of negotiations” between Iran and the United States. Munir’s arrival in Tehran is significant. In addition to being a close ally of Donald Trump, the general is a central figure in the diplomatic efforts that are trying to end the war between the United States and Iran. «Let’s wait and see if we can reach an agreement. We are confident and are trying to put pressure on both sides,” an Islamabad official said.
Furthermore, Tehran’s Foreign Ministry has made it known that “the talks are continuing through a Pakistani intermediary” and that “it remains to be seen how seriously the other side intends to pursue its diplomatic claims”. “It is the United States that must demonstrate its seriousness, because not only have they repeatedly failed to honor their commitments, but they have in fact undermined the very foundations of the negotiating table,” he added. On Tuesday, Trump himself told the New York Post to expect a possible diplomatic breakthrough within two days.
However, the easing of negotiations should not lead us to believe that tensions are easing. The Iranian army has in fact threatened to block navigation in the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman if the United States does not lift the blockade imposed on the Strait of Hormuz. A blockade, the one decreed by Trump, which has the precise objective of weakening the Iranian negotiating position, to push the Islamic Republic to soften up at the negotiating table. In fact, let us remember that the talks held on Saturday in Islamabad between Washington and Tehran mainly got stuck on two issues: uranium enrichment and the fate of Hormuz.
At the same time, a US official said that the White House has not formally committed to extending the ceasefire, which is set to expire on April 21. “The United States and Iran continue to engage in dialogue to reach an agreement,” he said. In short, the overall situation remains uncertain, but the diplomatic process seems to be slowly advancing.
