US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday voiced hope of progress on ending the war with Iran, with mediator Pakistan’s army chief poised for talks in Tehran.
The role played by Field Marshal Asim Munir, a powerful figure with a growing role in Pakistan’s foreign relations, has taken on increased significance as US President Donald Trump warned that negotiations to end the war were on the ‘borderline’ between a deal and renewed strikes.
“I believe the Pakistanis will be travelling to Tehran today. So hopefully that’ll advance the situation further,” Rubio told reporters on Thursday.
A ceasefire on 8 April halted the war launched weeks earlier by the United States and Israel, but negotiation efforts have so far failed to yield a lasting peace agreement.
A war of words has replaced open conflict, but the impasse continues to weigh on the world economy, leaving everyone from investors to farmers in painful states of uncertainty.
On Thursday, Iran’s ISNA news agency said that Munir’s visit aimed to continue ‘talks and consultations’ with Iranian authorities, without providing details. Other Iranian media outlets published a report.
In April, Pakistan hosted the only direct negotiations between US and Iranian officials since 28 February, the day the war began.
Munir was at the centre of the action during that round of talks, greeting both delegations on their arrival and displaying remarkable bonhomie with US Vice President J.D. Vance.
But the talks ultimately failed, with Tehran accusing Washington of making excessive demands.
Since then, the two sides have exchanged multiple proposals, with the threat of renewed war looming all along.
“It’s right on the borderline, believe me,” Trump told reporters Wednesday.
“If we don’t get the right answers, it goes rapidly. We’re all ready to go,” he added.
He said a deal could come ‘very quickly’ or ‘in a few days’, but warned Tehran would have to provide '100 percent good answers’.
Rubio also criticised NATO allies for their refusal to help Trump’s war against Iran.
“He’s not asking them to commit troops. He’s not asking them to send their fighter jets in. But they refuse to do anything,” he said.
“We were very upset about that,” he added.
Tehran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, on Wednesday accused Washington of seeking to restart the war, warning of a ‘forceful response' if Iran were attacked.
“The enemy’s movements, both overt and clandestine, show that despite economic and political pressure, it has not abandoned its military objectives and is seeking to start a new war,” Ghalibaf said.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said the Islamic republic was examining points received from Washington while repeating Tehran’s demands for the release of its assets frozen abroad and an end to a US naval blockade.
Trump is under political pressure at home as energy costs rise.
The ceasefire halted the fighting but has not reopened the Strait of Hormuz, the vital waterway that normally carries about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas.
The future of Hormuz remains a key sticking point in negotiations, with fears growing that the global economy will feel more pain as pre-war oil stockpiles deplete.
Iran imposed a Hormuz blockade as part of its retaliation in the war, allowing only a trickle of vessels through recently while introducing a toll system.
Iran’s new body overseeing Hormuz said its claimed area of control extends to Emirati waters, drawing a sharp rebuke from Abu Dhabi.
Relations between Iran and the United Arab Emirates have been severely strained since the war, after Tehran launched missile and drone strikes against Gulf countries in response to US-Israeli attacks.
Hormuz carries around a third of global fertiliser shipments, raising concerns of higher food prices and shortages if the closure drags on.
On another front in the war, Lebanese state media reported that an Israeli strike on Thursday damaged a hospital in Lebanon’s south.
Since a truce began on 17 April, Israel has continued to launch strikes, carry out demolitions and issue evacuation orders in south Lebanon, saying it is targeting Hezbollah, which has also kept up attacks.
Lebanon’s health ministry said Israeli attacks have killed at least 3,089 people in Lebanon since 2 March.
Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the Middle East war with rocket fire at Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran’s supreme leader in US-Israeli strikes.
The United States on Thursday sanctioned nine Hezbollah-linked individuals, accusing them of ‘obstructing the peace process in Lebanon.’
“Hezbollah is a terrorist organisation that must be fully disarmed,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said.
