Pakistan's powerful army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, whose country has attempted to mediate a peace deal in the Middle East war, was expected in Tehran on Tuesday, Iranian authorities said.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said talks with Munir "relate to issues concerning the negotiations, but they are mainly focused on bilateral relations and strengthening interactions and cooperation".
The visit comes with diplomatic efforts between Iran and the United States stalled over issues including the future of the Strait of Hormuz.On Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Washington was responsible for insecurity in the strait, usually a key transport route for oil and gas but which Iran has sought to blockade during the war launched by the US and Israel in February.
Pakistan has played a key mediating role in the so far unsuccessful attempts to end the war. In June, it helped broker a short-lived memorandum of understanding, which Tehran insists should still form the basis of any peace deal.
The trip will be the fifth by Munir since the June agreement.The US has not launched strikes on Iran since September, but the possibility of a return to fighting looms over the country.
"We live with this possibility day and night, and we cannot rule it out, even as we speak," Baghaei told reporters on Tuesday.Munir's visit follows one by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday.