The Lebanese Army Commander, Rudolph Heikal, left for Pakistan, while the Pakistani Interior Minister, Mohsen Naqvi, arrived in Tehran, as part of his country’s mediation between the United States and Iran.
The army announced, in a statement, that Heikal “left for the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, in response to the invitation of his Pakistani counterpart, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Chief of Army Staff and Commander of the Pakistani Defense Forces.”
Agence France-Presse quoted an informed source as saying that the visit is linked to Pakistani mediation between the United States and Iran, noting that “Lebanon forms an essential part of these negotiations.”
And it was An informed source reported to Al-Akhbar Heikal’s visit to Pakistan “was scheduled more than a month ago, but was postponed in connection with the current developments in the region,” pointing out at the same time that it is an indication of the existence of a new parallel line of negotiations in Washington, in addition to the open line directly with Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nabih Berri.
Read also: Targeting the army: An Israeli message to Heikal?
Also, Heikal had met in Ain al-Tineh yesterday with the Speaker of the House of Representatives, where they discussed the issue of a ceasefire.
Naqvi arrives in Tehran
At the same time, Iranian media announced the arrival of Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi in Tehran, where he is scheduled to meet and hold consultations with Iranian officials, including Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi.
According to the same sources, Naqvi had met, before heading to Tehran, with Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, and received directives from him regarding the Iranian-American talks.
Pakistan, along with other countries, is leading efforts to reach a memorandum of understanding that will pave the way for direct negotiations between the United States and Iran, with the aim of reaching a permanent ceasefire agreement.
