Iran’s high negotiator Qalibaf warns Trump as Pakistan Military chief Munir holds Tehran talks
Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf Saturday warned that any contemporary US army motion towards Tehran will probably be “extra crushing and bitter for America than the primary day of the battle”, as Pakistan Military Chief Subject Marshal Asim Munir held a packed day of talks within the Iranian capital aimed toward reviving stalled US-Iran negotiations.
Munir met Qalibaf, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and International Minister Abbas Araghchi throughout the go to, his second journey to Tehran in simply over 5 weeks, Iranian state media and Pakistan’s Inter-Providers Public Relations (ISPR) stated.
The go to comes practically three months after the US and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran on February 28, and amid mounting fears that the Trump administration might resume army operations, with US officers reportedly making ready a contemporary spherical of strikes.
‘Army males know the worth of peace’
In remarks throughout his assembly with Munir, Qalibaf accused Washington of beginning the battle “whereas negotiations have been underway” and now looking for talks to finish it, a reference to the collapse of the April 8 Pakistan-brokered ceasefire and the US naval blockade that adopted.
“We have been in a ceasefire that you simply brokered when the USA broke its phrase, imposed a naval blockade, and now it’s seeking to carry it,” Qalibaf was quoted as saying by Iran’s Mehr Information Company.
He added, “Army males know the worth of peace higher than others, however they’ll by no means enable their nation’s dignity and rights to be trampled.”
Warning that Iran’s armed forces had used the truce interval to rebuild, Qalibaf stated, “If Trump acts foolishly and restarts the battle, it’ll actually be extra crushing and bitter for America than the primary day of the battle.”
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— Tehran Instances (@TehranTimes79) Might 23, 2026
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Munir’s response
Munir, in line with the Iranian readout, struck a conciliatory tone, telling Qalibaf that “the federal government and other people of Pakistan maintain the perfect needs and prayers for the way forward for the Iranians.”
“You and I are each troopers of our nations, and troopers converse with out stuttering and with honesty,” Munir was quoted as saying. He added that he was happy Iran was being administered by “clever individuals with excessive imaginative and prescient at this juncture”.
The Pakistan Military chief was obtained in Tehran by Iran’s Inside Minister Eskandar Momeni. Pakistan’s Inside Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who’s believed to be near Munir, was already within the Iranian capital and had been partaking high Iranian officers when the sphere marshal arrived, Pakistani army officers stated.
A second mediation journey in 5 weeks
That is Munir’s second go to to Tehran for the reason that battle started. He travelled to Iran for 3 days in mid-April alongside Naqvi, assembly Pezeshkian, Qalibaf, Araghchi and senior commander Main Basic Ali Abdollahi.
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That earlier go to set the stage for the Islamabad Talks of April 11-12, the primary direct US-Iran negotiations for the reason that 1979 Iranian Revolution, led on the US facet by Vice President JD Vance. The talks didn’t clinch a deal, with Iran’s nuclear programme and management over the Strait of Hormuz recognized as key sticking factors.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated Friday that Pakistani mediators have been doing an “admirable job,” telling reporters, “There’s been some progress. I wouldn’t exaggerate it, I wouldn’t diminish it. There’s extra work to be completed.”
Rubio confirmed the US was in “fixed communication” with Munir.
The blockade and the damaged ceasefire
The April 8 Pakistan-brokered ceasefire collapsed inside days. On April 13, the US imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports alongside the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz, deploying over 100 army plane to patrol the waterway, in line with US Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine.
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On April 19, US forces seized the Iranian-flagged cargo ship Touska within the Gulf of Oman after it allegedly tried to evade the blockade. Iran’s joint army command known as the boarding “an act of piracy” and reblockaded the strait in retaliation, with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) asserting the closure of the waterway to US and Israeli-linked vessels.
The Strait of Hormuz handles roughly one-fifth of the world’s day by day power provides in regular occasions. Transport disruptions have triggered power shortages and stoked inflation throughout Asian and European economies, together with India.
Why Pakistan?
Pakistan has emerged because the principal back-channel mediator within the battle as a result of it enjoys the boldness of each Tehran and Washington, a novel place within the present disaster.
The function has elevated Munir’s diplomatic profile significantly. The Subject Marshal, who was promoted to that rank after the Might 2025 India-Pakistan standoff, now operates in shut coordination with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the Iran file.
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In keeping with safety sources cited in Pakistani media, the Munir-Sharif group is now pushing for a second spherical of US-Iran direct talks to be held in Islamabad earlier than any return to open hostilities.
Trump weighs contemporary strikes
The Tehran conferences come amid stories that President Donald Trump is making ready a contemporary spherical of army strikes towards Iran. Sources with direct data of the planning informed CBS Information on Friday that no closing resolution had been taken, however a number of US army and intelligence officers had cancelled Memorial Day weekend plans in anticipation.
Trump on Friday cancelled his journey to his New Jersey golf property and confirmed he would skip the marriage of his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., to Bettina Anderson within the Bahamas, citing “circumstances pertaining to authorities.”
“I really feel it’s important for me to stay in Washington, D.C., on the White Home throughout this vital time period,” Trump wrote on Reality Social.
(With inputs from businesses)
