ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, whose country has attempted to mediate a peace deal in the United States-Iran war, on Tuesday held talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Tehran, Iranian state media reported, amid persisting US-Iran tensions in the Middle East.

Munir arrived in Tehran on Tuesday 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, and Iran’s nuclear program.

Iranian media on Tuesday reported that Field Marshal Munir arrived in Tehran along with a delegation of Pakistani officials for talks on bilateral relations and stalled US-Iran negotiations.

“Following his initial working meeting with Foreign Minister Syed Abbas Araqchi in Tehran, the Pakistani chief of army staff met with President Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian,” the state-run IRNA news agency reported.

“Pakistan’s Interior Minister, Syed Mohsen Naqvi, accompanied the Field Marshal during this significant meeting.”

The talks with Munir will “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 earlier.

There has been no comment from the Pakistani side on the visit, which is the fifth by Munir since the June agreement. It comes as Washington and Tehran remain locked in the conflict that began after the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran in late Feb.

The US has not attacked 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.

On Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Washington was responsible for insecurity in the strait, usually a key transport route for oil and gas but which Iran has sought to blockade during the war.

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

It also comes against a backdrop of heightened regional tensions following missile and drone attacks by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi militia against Saudi energy and civilian infrastructure this month.

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