Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and his Iranian counterpart, Eskandar Momeni, held an important meeting in Kyrgyzstan’s capital, Bishkek, where they discussed efforts to reduce regional tensions and matters related to internal security, the Interior Ministry said on Friday.
In a post on X, the ministry said the two ministers held talks on Pakistan-Iran relations and the latest developments in the region.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of a gathering of interior and public security ministers from Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member states in Bishkek, which is being held from June 4 to June 6.
“De-escalation efforts and internal security issues were discussed,” the ministry said, adding that both sides exchanged views on regional developments during the meeting.
The ministry further said that both interior ministers emphasised the need to continue diplomatic efforts on a sustained basis to ensure lasting peace in the region.
Naqvi last visited Tehran on May 21, which lasted four days, and was his second visit within days, underscoring a growing sense of urgency, with some sources claiming that President Donald Trump had set a timeline for the negotiations to succeed or risk renewed military escalation.
The interior minister met with Ahmad Vahidi, a senior commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and considered among the country’s most powerful figures after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Naqvi also met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian for the second time in less than a week.
Two days after Naqvi’s visit, Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir visited Tehran and held meetings with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Speaker of the Iranian Parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni.
According to the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), “The discussions remained focused upon expediting the consultative process underway to support peace and stability in the region and to reach a conclusive agreement.”
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On February 28, the US and Israel launched a joint offensive against Iran. Tehran retaliated with strikes on Israel and other Gulf countries hosting US assets.
Pakistan subsequently positioned itself as a key mediator for peace, brokering a two-week ceasefire and hosting the highest-level US-Iran talks since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Although the “Islamabad Talks” ended without agreement, the ceasefire was held and later extended upon Islamabad’s request.
Since then, the two sides have been exchanging proposals and counter-proposals in an effort to reach a middle ground and resume a second round of direct talks aimed at ending the conflict, which has already disrupted global energy supplies and daily life across the region.
While Pakistan remains hopeful for the resumption of direct talks, sources said there was no “significant” change in Iran’s earlier stance on the nuclear issue in its response to US proposals.
According to sources, Tehran’s response — delivered to the United States via Islamabad last week — primarily focused on an “immediate” end to hostilities, with “little [in it] in terms of Washington’s core demand about Iran’s nuclear programme”.
Iran, the sources added, has proposed “broader and separate” talks on the nuclear issue, citing its “complexity”.
However, Tehran has “reiterated” its willingness to halt uranium enrichment for a period of five years, while rejecting Washington’s demand for a 20-year moratorium, according to the sources.
