Pakistan kept Iran-US talks on track on Saturday, June 20, 2026, as Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi held high-level meetings with senior Iranian officials in Tehran, the latest in a series of visits aimed at sustaining the diplomatic momentum generated by the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Washington and Tehran.
Naqvi Meets Momeni and Araghchi in Tehran
Naqvi travelled to Iran on Saturday, landing first in the city of Mashhad, where he visited the shrine of Imam Reza, before continuing on to Tehran, according to Iranian media. On arrival in the Iranian capital, he was received by his Iranian counterpart, Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni, with whom he held a meeting on bilateral relations and the regional situation. He later travelled to the Iranian Foreign Ministry for separate talks with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
In a statement, Pakistan’s Interior Ministry said the two sides discussed bilateral relations between the two countries as well as the current regional situation following the signing of the US-Iran memorandum of understanding. A further statement from the ministry said officials on both sides viewed the agreement between Washington and Tehran as a positive step toward lasting peace in the region.
Iranian Officials Frame Visit Around Iran-US Talks
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baqaei, said Naqvi was expected to arrive in Iran around 12:00 PM (noon), Tehran time, on Saturday, as part of Pakistan’s continuing efforts on the Iran-US talks, according to the ISNA news agency. Baqaei said Naqvi would hold separate meetings with Momeni and Araghchi to discuss the next phase of diplomatic engagement between Washington and Tehran.
Saturday’s trip was one of several visits Naqvi has made to Iran in recent weeks as part of Pakistan’s shuttle diplomacy between Washington and Tehran, following earlier rounds of talks in Tehran and Islamabad.
Background: From a February Conflict to the Islamabad MoU
The diplomatic push follows months of upheaval in the region. The conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran began after US and Israeli forces struck Iranian targets on Saturday, February 28, 2026, prompting retaliatory measures from Tehran that disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a key corridor for global oil and gas trade. A ceasefire, brokered through Pakistani mediation, took effect on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, though follow-up talks in Islamabad initially failed to produce a lasting settlement.
US President Donald Trump first announced on Monday, June 15, 2026, that Washington and Tehran had reached an understanding to end the conflict. The agreement, named the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, was formally signed electronically by Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Thursday, June 18, 2026, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif co-signing on behalf of Pakistan as mediator, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office.
Sharif said the MoU took effect with immediate effect, with Iran reopening the Strait of Hormuz and the United States lifting a naval blockade on Iranian ports as a first step. According to reports citing both governments, the wider agreement sets a sixty-day window for further negotiations covering Iran’s nuclear programme and sanctions relief, while allowing Tehran to resume oil exports.
A first round of follow-up talks planned for Friday, June 19, 2026, at Switzerland’s Bürgenstock resort was postponed after the White House said US Vice President JD Vance would not travel for the meeting, citing logistical issues.
Switzerland’s Foreign Ministry confirmed the postponement, saying it remained ready to provide a “discreet and reliable setting” for the talks and that preparatory work was continuing. Iran’s Foreign Ministry said separately that there was “no urgency” to meet in Switzerland, since the text of the MoU had already been signed digitally, while adding that a meeting would be held in the coming days.
What’s Next: Technical Talks Set for Bürgenstock
Pakistan’s Foreign Office said on Saturday that technical-level talks between the United States and Iran would be held on Sunday, June 21, 2026, at Bürgenstock, with representatives of both countries joined by mediators from Pakistan and Qatar. The ministry said Pakistan would continue to “facilitate the process in its role as mediator” to advance the understandings reached under the Islamabad MoU.
Naqvi’s Tehran visit underscored Islamabad’s continued role as a go-between for Washington and Tehran. With the sixty-day implementation window set by the Islamabad MoU now underway, sustaining the Iran-US talks is expected to remain a diplomatic priority for Pakistan in the weeks ahead.
Published in SouthAsianDesk, June 21, 2026
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