Pakistan interior minister in Tehran as Hormuz talks advance
By SCN News Desk
TEHRAN/ISLAMABAD, — Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi arrived in Tehran on Tuesday for high-level talks with Iranian officials, as Islamabad intensified its diplomatic push between Iran and the United States amid signs that negotiations over the Strait of Hormuz may be moving closer to an arrangement.
Naqvi traveled to the Iranian capital for consultations on bilateral relations, regional security and efforts to revive the stalled diplomatic process between Washington and Tehran. Iranian state media reported that he was scheduled to meet senior Iranian officials during the visit.
His trip comes at a potentially important moment in the crisis.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said Tuesday that the United States and Iran appeared close to “some sort of an arrangement,” citing encouraging signals during recent days. He said developments were again moving in the direction of a possible peace arrangement or deal.
Hormuz emerging as central diplomatic test
The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the most difficult issues separating Tehran and Washington.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said over the weekend that indirect communication with Washington was continuing through intermediaries, although formal direct negotiations had not resumed.
Araghchi also said negotiations involving Iran and Oman over Hormuz were nearing completion, but cautioned that an agreement on shipping arrangements would not automatically mean the strategic waterway would immediately reopen.
The strait is one of the world’s most important energy corridors, making any agreement over shipping access significant far beyond Iran and the United States.
Pakistan is now trying to use the apparent progress on Hormuz as an opening for broader diplomacy.
Naqvi emerges as Islamabad’s Tehran channel
Although Naqvi is Pakistan’s interior minister rather than its foreign minister, he has increasingly become an important direct channel between Islamabad and Tehran during the crisis.
He has made repeated trips to Iran as Pakistan has attempted to maintain communication with both Tehran and Washington.
During an earlier visit in June, Naqvi met Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni and carried a message for Iran’s leadership from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan’s military leadership.
Tuesday’s trip continues that shuttle diplomacy.
It also suggests Islamabad believes direct engagement with Iranian decision-makers remains worthwhile even while formal U.S.-Iran negotiations remain uncertain.
Pakistan sees an opening
Khawaja Asif’s comments provide the clearest indication yet of Islamabad’s assessment of the current negotiations.
“The signals in the last two three days are that we are close to some sort of an arrangement,” Asif said in remarks reported Tuesday.
That does not mean an agreement has been reached.
Major differences remain over the conditions for ending hostilities, Iran’s nuclear program, sanctions, compensation and the eventual status of the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran has also maintained that Washington must comply with previous understandings before direct negotiations can fully resume.
But the tone from Islamabad is noticeably more optimistic than during earlier phases of the negotiations.
Why Pakistan matters
Pakistan occupies an unusual position in the confrontation.
Islamabad maintains close political and security ties with Iran while also preserving important relations with Washington and the Gulf Arab states.
That has allowed Pakistani officials to communicate with parties that often struggle to speak directly to each other.
The latest diplomacy is therefore not simply about Pakistan-Iran bilateral relations.
Naqvi’s presence in Tehran comes while Islamabad is actively trying to determine whether progress over Hormuz can be expanded into a wider U.S.-Iran understanding.
For Pakistan, there is also a major economic interest in de-escalation.
Continued disruption around Hormuz threatens energy supplies, shipping costs and the broader Gulf economy — all of which carry direct consequences for Pakistan.
Trump adds another complication
President Donald Trump has meanwhile continued publicly pressuring Tehran.
Trump said Monday that the United States controlled the Strait of Hormuz and also addressed Iranian demands involving compensation arising from the conflict.
Iran has maintained its own demands for compensation and sanctions relief, creating another difficult negotiating track alongside shipping access and security guarantees.
Those competing demands mean that progress on Hormuz should not yet be interpreted as a comprehensive peace agreement.
Instead, an arrangement governing maritime traffic could become a first confidence-building step toward reopening wider negotiations.
Tehran visit could test whether momentum is real
Naqvi’s meetings will therefore be watched for evidence that the recent diplomatic optimism can translate into concrete movement.
If an understanding over Hormuz emerges, Pakistan could attempt to use it to push Washington and Tehran toward renewed negotiations on the broader conflict.
If the talks stall, the strategic waterway could remain a major source of confrontation and uncertainty for global energy markets.
For now, Islamabad is publicly signaling that it sees an opening.
And Naqvi’s latest arrival in Tehran shows Pakistan is attempting to turn that opening into an agreement before the diplomatic momentum disappears.