Pakistan army chief in Tehran: Can diplomacy prevent new US-Iran fighting?

With new talk of escalation, Islamabad is trying to revive negotiations without alienating Tehran, Riyadh or Washington. Save Share Islamabad, Pakistan –Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, arrived in Tehran on Tuesday evening for talks with Iranian officials, as diplomatic efforts ramp up to prevent a new round of fighting with the United States and Israel. Munir’s visit is hisfifth to Iransince the April ceasefire between Tehran and Washington, which was brokered by Islamabad. Pakistan’s Interior MinisterMohsin Naqviis accompanying Munir, Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported. The Pakistani army chief is expected to meet Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi first, IRNA said. The visit comes a day after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrovheld talksin Tehran, and two weeks after Pakistan and its allies agreed toaccelerate the deploymentof forces to Saudi Arabia, which has come under repeatedattacksfrom the Iran-backed Houthi armed group in Yemen. Lavrov’s visit on Monday was his first to Tehran since the start of the US-Israel war on Iran in February. The Russian foreign minister met Araghchi and President Masoud Pezeshkian, and the talks covered the war, the Strait of Hormuz and efforts to end the fighting. “The timing of [Munir’s] visit, following Lavrov’s presence in Tehran, suggests that Iran prefers to keep multiple diplomatic channels open, rather than relying exclusively on a single mediator,” Seyed Mojtaba Jalazadeh, a Tehran-based foreign policy analyst, told Al Jazeera. But the Munir visit also comes at a time when some experts have warned of growing signs that United States President Donald Trump might be preparing for a return to fighting with Iran.Trump rejectedan Iranian proposal to end the war on September 26. Since then, the US has deployed an additional aircraft carrier to the Middle East, which is expected to arrive by late November. Trump has endorsed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel’s upcoming October 27 election, referring to their shared mission in attacking Iran. Trump said that if Netanyahu were not re-elected, the US would need to attack Iran on its own. Analysts say these developments add urgency to diplomatic efforts to sidestep a potential military escalation. In recent weeks,Qatarhas played a key role in channeling proposals between the US and Iran....