Pakistan Army “Encouraging Progress”; Baghaei — Framework in 30-60 Days
Pakistan’s military said in a statement on Saturday that Field Marshal Munir had concluded a “short but highly productive” official visit to Iran, during which “encouraging progress” was made towards reaching a final understanding. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told state broadcaster IRIB on Saturday that Tehran was in the “final stages of drafting a framework for a deal to end the war with the US”: “Within a reasonable period of 30 to 60 days, the details of these points will be discussed, and a final agreement will ultimately be concluded. We are currently in the process of finalising these memoranda of understanding.” But Baghaei also said Munir’s visit “does not mean we have reached a turning point or a decisive situation”, adding that “deep and significant” disagreements remained.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking to reporters in New Delhi on Saturday, said “some progress” had been made in the talks, adding: “Even as I speak to you now, there’s some work being done.” ISW separately reports that an unspecified senior Iranian source said both sides had narrowed gaps between their demands, but that Iran’s uranium enrichment and the Strait of Hormuz remain sticking points; an unspecified Pakistani diplomatic source told Al Hadath that closing gaps would not be easy because both sides maintain “high demands”. The Pakistani-Iranian-Qatari coordination remains the broadest multi-party diplomatic push since the April ceasefire, with Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt also supporting the effort