Field Marshal Asim Munir left Tehran amid hopes of another round of US-Iran talks, while Chief of Staff Shahbaz Sharif flew home from Turkiye.
Published on 18 April 2026
Pakistan’s army chief and prime minister have completed separate diplomatic visits aimed at advancing efforts to end the United States-Iran conflict, with Field Marshal Asim Munir leaving Tehran and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif returning from Turkiye.
A Pakistani military statement on Saturday said Munir met Iran’s leadership and peace negotiators during a three-day visit to Tehran.
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Ahead of US-Iran talks expected in Islamabad in the coming days, the military said the visit demonstrated Pakistan’s “unwavering resolve to seek negotiated solutions and promote peace, stability and prosperity”.
Munir held talks with the country’s President, Foreign Minister, Parliament Speaker and the head of Iran’s military central command centre.
The parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and the foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, led the Iranian delegation to Islamabad for peace talks with the United States last week, the highest level of face-to-face contact between Washington and Tehran in decades.
Those talks ended without an agreement, and the ceasefire is set to expire on April 22.
But diplomacy has continued, with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visiting Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey to advance the peace process.
His three-nation visit ended on Saturday, with Sharif and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar departing from a diplomacy forum in Antalya, according to statements by both officials.
“I leave Antalya (Turkish city) with fond memories and a new commitment to continue our close cooperation to further strengthen the bonds of enduring brotherhood between our two countries and to advance dialogue and diplomacy for lasting peace and stability in the region,” Sharif posted on Twitter.
The flurry of diplomacy comes as more talks are expected in Pakistan in the coming days as Islamabad steps up contacts with regional and global leaders in an effort to maintain momentum toward a US-Iran deal.
Pressure has increased for a deal between the two countries after Iran reimposed sanctions on the Strait of Hormuz just hours after Lebanon reopened it following the start of a ceasefire. Tehran accused the US of violating the agreement to reopen the strategically important waterway.
Donald Trump has said that the second round of talks with Iran can be held in Pakistan in the coming days. The New York Post reported that Trump praised Munir, saying he was “doing a great job”.
Reporting from Islamabad, Al Jazeera’s Kamal Haider said Munir returned home on Saturday as Pakistan was preparing for another round of US-Iran talks “within the next few days”.
He said, “We have seen a lot of praise from the Trump administration praising the Pakistani leadership on social media. So all eyes are on Islamabad. Serious differences remain, but there is an uptick in diplomatic activity and there is hope and expectation that some kind of breakthrough can be achieved.”
