Pakistan Warns of “Powerful Spoilers” Threatening US-Iran Peace Efforts

Pakistan’s military says it is “cautiously optimistic” about its mediation between Iran and the United States, while warning that unnamed “powerful spoilers and detractors” still believe the conflict serves them.

Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, director general of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), spoke to Reuters in Rawalpindi on October 30. It was his first interview since a high-level delegation visited Tehran this week.

Munir’s Two Tehran Trips

Reuters describes Field Marshal Asim Munir, Pakistan’s Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff, as Islamabad’s chief mediator in the eight-month-old war. He has been to Tehran twice this month, most recently on Monday, October 26, alongside Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin.

Asked whether the trips were a positive sign, Chaudhry said: “Why would the Field Marshal be going twice if it is not for some positivity? So yes, of course.” He added: “The word that we would use is always cautiously optimistic.”

Chaudhry declined to say what was discussed or whether the United States had backed the trip. After Monday’s talks, Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said regional security should be ensured by regional countries without foreign intervention.

Spoilers Left Unnamed

Chaudhry said there were still “powerful spoilers and detractors” who believed conflict serves them. He did not say who they were.

Mecca Pact Wording Leaves Door Open

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement on August 7, agreeing that an armed attack on one of them would be treated as an attack on all. Monday’s Tehran visit was the first high-level contact between Iran and all members of the pact since Saudi Arabia was drawn deeper into the conflict, Dawn reported.

Asked whether Iran could join, Chaudhry said the wording of the pact does not bar new members. “Anyone who has a shared vision of collective deterrence and regional peace, why not? Everyone is most welcome,” he said, adding that the decision rests with the political leadership of the three principal parties.

On Saudi Arabia, Chaudhry said any additional Pakistani troop deployment would depend on the situation and on both governments’ leaders. Pakistan is committed to defending Saudi Arabia and the holy sites of Mecca and Medina, he said, but “we are not part of the Yemeni conflict, which is an intra-Yemen conflict.” Clash Report has also reported that the U.S. ordered non-emergency personnel to leave Saudi Arabia amid Houthi attacks.

Islamabad’s Mediation Role

Pakistan hosted talks in Islamabad in April between a U.S. delegation led by Vice President JD Vance and an Iranian delegation led by parliament speaker Bagher Ghalibaf. They ended without a deal but left the door open to further dialogue, according to Reuters.

U.S. envoy Tom Barrack said this week that Washington is close to an Iran deal as regional powers mediate, citing efforts by Qatar, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye. The Washington Post separately reported that Vance has offered to meet Rezaei; Tehran had not responded.