RAWALPINDI: Pakistan remains “cautiously optimistic” regarding its diplomatic efforts to mediate between the United States and Iran, according to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry.
Speaking in an interview with Reuters in Rawalpindi, the military’s spokesman highlighted recent high-level diplomatic engagements aimed at easing regional tensions in the Middle East.
Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir has traveled to Tehran twice this month, most recently on Monday. When asked if the trips signaled positive momentum, Lt Gen Chaudhry responded: “Why would the Field Marshal be going twice if it is not for some positivity? So yes, of course… The word that we would use is always cautiously optimistic.” He cautioned, however, that there are still “powerful spoilers and detractors” who believe ongoing conflict serves their interests.
Joint Regional Diplomacy: Monday’s talks in Tehran marked a major diplomatic milestone, featuring high-level contact between Iran and representatives of the Makkah Defence Alliance. Field Marshal Munir was joined in Iran by Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin.
Addressing whether Iran could eventually join the Makkah pact—signed on August 7, where an attack on one member is considered an attack on all—Lt Gen Chaudhry stated that the framework does not bar new members. “Anyone who has a shared vision of collective deterrence and regional peace, why not? Everyone is most welcome,” he noted, though emphasizing that such decisions rest with the political leadership.
Reaffirming Pakistan’s stance, Lt Gen Chaudhry stated that the country remains fully committed to defending Saudi Arabia and the holy sites of Makkah and Madina, noting that any future troop deployments would depend on the mutual decisions of political leadership. He also clarified that Pakistan remains distinct from the intra-Yemeni conflict.
Turning to domestic security and the situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa following the imposition of emergency and governor’s rules, the DG ISPR clarified that the military’s strategy relies on targeted intelligence-based operations (IBOs) rather than large-scale military campaigns, pledging an increased tempo for these actions.
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