Pakistan army chief urges Iran to curb Houthi attacks

Pakistan's army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir urged Iranian leaders during his visit to Tehran on Tuesday to use their influence to halt Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, reiterating Islamabad's commitment to defend the kingdom under the Mecca defense pact, sources said Wednesday.

Focus on Houthi attacks

A source familiar with the developments said the field marshal's latest meetings "were more focused on the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia during his latest visit, in addition to Islamabad’s continued efforts for the resumption of US-Iran talks." The source added, "He (Munir) once again urged the Iranian leadership to use its influence to bring a halt to Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, explaining Pakistan’s commitment to defend the kingdom under the Mecca defense pact." Iran, in return, reiterated its offer to mediate between the Houthis and Riyadh, insisting that it "doesn’t want the Middle East conflict to further widen," the sources said, noting that Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi accompanied Munir to Tehran.

Stalled US-Iran negotiations

Munir discussed "different ways" to resume long-stalled direct talks with the US during meetings with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Parliament Speaker Bagher Ghalibaf, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei, the sources said. Iranian leaders, however, did not offer "anything new in this regard," insisting that Washington had to return to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding before any talks could resume to end the conflict, the sources added.

The Mecca agreement, signed on August 7 between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, allows signatories to treat an attack against one member as an attack against all three. Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum on June 17 agreeing to advance negotiations toward a permanent settlement within 60 days, though hostilities that began in July have cast uncertainty over the agreement amid the war launched by the US and Israel on February 28. Pakistani military spokesman Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said last week that Islamabad was providing Saudi Arabia with whatever support is needed to defend the kingdom, though he did not elaborate on the details.