ISLAMABAD: Iran said on Tuesday that talks with Pakistan’s army chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir in Tehran would focus primarily on strengthening bilateral relations but also address stalled negotiations with the United States, as Islamabad continued efforts to mediate an end to the Middle East conflict.

Munir’s visit comes amid continuing uncertainty over efforts to secure a lasting settlement between Washington and Tehran following the collapse of a short-lived agreement brokered by Pakistan in June. The two sides remain at odds over issues including the future of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for global oil and gas shipments.

The talks with Munir “relate to issues concerning the negotiations, but they are mainly focused on bilateral relations and strengthening interactions and cooperation,” Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said, according to AFP.

Iran’s state news agency IRNA separately reported that Munir had left for Tehran on Tuesday.

“A diplomatic source in Islamabad told IRNA that Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, the Pakistani army chief, has left for the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the agency reported.

There was no immediate confirmation of the visit from Pakistani authorities.

Washington and Tehran have been locked in conflict since February, when the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran. Pakistan has played a prominent diplomatic role in efforts to end the hostilities, helping broker a short-lived memorandum of understanding in June that Tehran maintains should form the basis of any future peace agreement.

The US has not launched strikes on Iran since September, but Iranian officials have warned that renewed fighting remains a possibility.

“We live with this possibility day and night, and we cannot rule it out, even as we speak,” Baqaei told reporters on Tuesday.

Another official source told IRNA that Munir’s discussions in Tehran would also cover bilateral relations, including measures to facilitate trade along the shared border.

The talks come days after Pakistan temporarily suspended trade at the Taftan and Gabd-Rimdan crossings in southwestern Balochistan province over security concerns, leaving hundreds of trucks and containers stranded.

Provincial authorities subsequently indicated that discussions on reopening the crossings were making progress.

The trip will be Munir’s fifth visit to Tehran since the June agreement, according to AFP.

His visit follows one by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday, amid continuing diplomatic contacts over the regional conflict.

The visit also comes against a backdrop of heightened regional tensions following missile and drone attacks by Iran-aligned Houthi forces against Saudi energy and aviation facilities this month.

Pakistan, which has defense agreements with Saudi Arabia, has pledged to support the Kingdom’s security amid the attacks.