ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and President Masoud Pezeshkian in Tehran on Tuesday, in an effort to revive Pakistan’s stalled mediation between Iran and the United States.

Naqvi was received on arrival by his Iranian counterpart Eskandar Momeni before holding talks with Araghchi. A diplomatic source told Dawn from Tehran that the principal objective of the visit was to follow up on the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) — a channel that has been largely dormant since Oman took the lead on negotiating arrangements for navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

Reported progress in the Oman–Iran dialogue has created an opening for Islamabad to push for revival of the broader process that emerged from the June agreement.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif separately told Bloomberg that the US and Iran are close to “some sort of an arrangement,” adding that signals over the previous three days pointed towards a peace arrangement or deal.

Where the deadlock sits. The Persian Gulf remains locked in a fragile “no war, no peace” state following the collapse of the Islamabad MoU. Iran and Oman have been negotiating a new arrangement for safe passage, focused on a possible new shipping route and how it would be managed — but Tehran maintains that any understanding with Oman would be only a technical, first-stage arrangement, not a full reopening of the waterway.

According to the diplomatic source, Iran’s position conveyed to foreign capitals is that full reopening of Hormuz is tied to US implementation of the Islamabad MoU. Tehran argues the MoU, concluded at presidential level, remains the only legitimate framework for resolving the wider dispute and must be implemented as signed rather than renegotiated through selective reinterpretation. Iran is also seeking concrete, verifiable evidence of US political willingness — not verbal commitments — before moving to the next phase.

Pakistan recently invited Araghchi and Iranian parliament speaker and chief negotiator Bagher Ghalibaf to Islamabad at the “earliest possible opportunity.” Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Monday the visit would take place “at an appropriate time” — which is part of why Naqvi travelled rather than waiting.

The bilateral warmth was pointed. Naqvi described the relationship between the neighbours as “strong, long-standing and unbreakable,” while Pezeshkian said Iran–Pakistan ties serve both countries’ national interests and regional stability. The emphasis followed Pakistan’s trilateral defence agreement with Saudi Arabia and Türkiye — an arrangement Islamabad insists is defensive and not directed at any country. Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar briefed Araghchi on its contours on Monday.

Washington’s tone. US President Donald Trump on Tuesday described Iran’s negotiators as “devious” and “dishonest,” telling Real America’s Voice that they agree to things and then publicly deny having agreed. He said Iran’s economic position was unsustainable, and set out three options: wait and let the pressure continue, strike hard militarily, or beat Iran economically — which, he said, Washington is doing anyway.

Reporter Baqir Sajjad Syed