Pakistan claims progress in talks with Iran on ending war

U.S. forces have redirected 71 commercial vessels, disabled three, and boarded two as part of Washington’s blockade on Iranian ports.

By JNS

Pakistan and Iran made “significant progress” in talks on ending the war, Islamabad’s interior minister said on Tuesday.

Monday’s discussions in Tehran focused on preventing further escalation, reopening the Strait of Hormuz and securing a swift end to the fighting, Pakistan’s military said after Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir met with Iranian leaders.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi wrote in a post on X that he and Munir held a “very positive and productive meeting” with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

“Our discussion focused on the Iran-US conflict, tensions in the Middle East and the way forward, as well as the steps needed by both sides for the restoration of the Islamabad MoU, thereby leading to a comprehensive settlement of the conflict,” Naqvi said.

Pezeshkian presented Tehran’s position during what he described as a constructive exchange. Pakistan and Iran also discussed a negotiated settlement and broader regional stability.

The office of the Iranian president said that “the United States must correct its tone and approach in dealing with us instead of dictation and coercion. We are ready for any economic, political, and security cooperation with Islamic countries and neighboring states.”

Reuters reported that Munir spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump before traveling to Tehran.

Meanwhile, the United States controls the Strait of Hormuz and can protect ships passing through the strategic waterway, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told CBS News on Monday.

“Iran can’t run anything through; we can.” Hegseth said, crediting U.S. strikes with significantly degrading Tehran’s naval and missile capabilities. The U.S. military can “protect the shipping going through the strait, allowing oil to flow,” he said, adding that “if we need to use kinetic strikes, we’ll use them.”

Despite U.S. operations, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations confirmed it received a report on Monday that an oil tanker nine nautical miles northeast of Ash Shishah, Oman, had “been struck by an unknown projectile, causing damage to the engine room and disabling the vessel,” with the crew safe.

Israeli journalist Amichai Stein reported on Tuesday that the strike marked Iran’s first attack on an oil tanker in the strait in about a week.

U.S. forces have redirected 71 commercial vessels, disabled three, and boarded two as part of Washington’s blockade on Iranian ports, U.S. Central Command said on Monday night—an increase of one redirected vessel from Sunday.

Central Command added that more than 40 vessels supporting humanitarian aid have been permitted to pass, with American forces aboard the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush enforcing the blockade.

The military actions accompany a sweeping sanctions blitz.

On Monday, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced an “economic onslaught” against Iran’s global trade partners under “Operation Economic Outcast,” fulfilling the financial “D-Day” Trump announced on Aug. 19, when he threatened “tremendous economic consequences” for any entity providing lifelines to Tehran.

Amid the pressure, Iran’s rial dropped to a record low of 2.02 million to the U.S. dollar on informal currency markets, the Associated Press reported.

U.S. Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) on Monday welcomed the currency collapse, posting, X: “Inflicting maximum damage on the regime committed to destroying America and Israel is a good thing.”