Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi recently visited Tehran and met Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Interior Minister Eskander Momeni. Naqvi carried a message to the Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei from Pakistan’s Army Chief Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. This was his third visit in recent weeks, highlighting Islamabad’s role in mediating between the United States and Iran against the backdrop of recurring attacks and escalations. The visit reflects Pakistan’s continuing mediation efforts as well as Islamabad’s focus on increasing coordination with Iran on security, trade and other key issues amid regional uncertainties.
Naqvi’s visits come at a critical juncture. Since the outbreak of war between the United States, Israel and Iran, Pakistan has increasingly used its influence to mediate between the United States and Iran. The temporary ceasefire achieved in April through Pakistani mediation and the subsequent direct talks hosted in Islamabad highlighted Pakistan’s role as an interlocutor capable of constructive mediation and maintaining communication channels with all sides. Although tensions continue to flare in the Middle East, Islamabad remains actively engaged in efforts to prevent a return to full-scale conflict. The frequency of meetings and visits by Pakistan’s top officials is therefore significant in understanding the role Islamabad plays in maintaining the momentum and optimism of negotiations. Naqvi’s earlier visit in May involved meetings with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Foreign Minister Araghchi, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Interior Minister Momeni. His subsequent trips have coincided with renewed diplomatic efforts to revive negotiations and prevent the collapse of the fragile ceasefire.
Islamabad’s role should be seen in the broader context of Pakistan’s efforts to enhance its diplomatic influence amid evolving geopolitical dynamics. Over the past decade, Pakistan has faced a range of political, economic and security challenges that have shaped its image. In this context, Islamabad’s active diplomatic engagement reflects an attempt to position itself as a constructive stakeholder capable of facilitating dialogue and contributing to regional stability. Pakistan occupies a unique position due to its relations with major stakeholders involved in the crisis. Its longstanding strategic partnerships with the Gulf states are especially significant given these states’ immediate economic and security interests in de-escalating tensions and restoring stability in the region. At the same time, Pakistan’s engagement with the United States under the Trump administration, its established channels with Iran and its close strategic partnership with China provide it with access to multiple centers of influence. This enhances Pakistan’s role as an intermediary, enabling it to communicate across key actors capable of influencing the outcomes of the conflict.
The consequences of the war have had severe implications for Pakistan. The disruption of energy markets has already contributed to volatility in global oil prices, placing additional pressure on Pakistan’s fragile economy, which remains heavily dependent on imported energy. Higher fuel prices not only increase inflationary pressures but also complicate ongoing efforts toward economic recovery and fiscal stabilization. Furthermore, any prolonged disruption in the Strait of Hormuz would threaten critical energy supplies and commercial shipping routes upon which Pakistan and other countries in the region depend. Beyond energy security, Pakistan has broader strategic incentives to support de-escalation. Millions of Pakistani expatriates reside and work in the Gulf states, making remittances from the region a vital source of foreign exchange. Prolonged conflict could adversely affect these economic flows while also creating wider regional instability. Given its shared border with Iran and existing security challenges along its western frontiers, Islamabad cannot afford another protracted conflict to emerge in its immediate neighborhood. Consequently, Pakistan’s approach reflects a pragmatic recognition that a prolonged Iran-US confrontation would generate high economic, political and security costs for Pakistan. This convergence of multifaceted interests pushes Islamabad to actively pursue dialogue and support efforts aimed at achieving a sustainable deal.
Reports indicate that during the recent set of meetings, Naqvi also discussed border and regional issues along with prospects to increase bilateral trade. Beyond the immediate security implications, any prolonged instability in Iran would have significant regional repercussions. Trade between Pakistan and Iran hovers at around $3 billion, much of it through border markets, barter arrangements and local-currency transactions, and Iran recently announced an agreement to expand bilateral trade to $10 billion. Recently, Pakistan issued SRO 691(I)/2026, the “Transit of Goods through Territory of Pakistan Order 2026,” formally establishing six overland transit corridors linking Karachi, Port Qasim and Gwadar to the Iranian border crossings at Gabd-Rimdan and Taftan, allowing third-country goods to transit through Pakistan to Iran. The Gwadar-Gabd corridor is particularly significant as it positions Gwadar as a potential regional transit hub amid disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and broader regional instability. Pakistan’s relations with Afghanistan in recent years have been severely affected by recurring security tensions and political disputes, while formal trade with India remains largely suspended. In this context, Iran has become Pakistan’s most viable gateway for regional connectivity. Enhanced economic cooperation with Tehran could also facilitate access to Central Asian markets without relying exclusively on transit routes through Afghanistan, thereby diversifying Pakistan’s connectivity options and reducing its exposure to geopolitical uncertainties elsewhere along its western frontier.
Such initiatives also reflect Islamabad’s effort to transform Pakistan into a regional connectivity hub while reducing dependence on vulnerable routes. Moreover, by accentuating such efforts, Pakistan wants to show its willingness to engage with Iran constructively amid lingering economic and security challenges. Although concerns regarding sanctions compliance could arise, the corridor does not inherently violate US sanctions unless it is used to facilitate transactions involving specifically designated Iranian entities or sanctioned activities, which can be tricky to monitor closely. At a time when Pakistan is actively supporting diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions between Tehran and Washington, punitive measures by the United States against Islamabad regarding trade with Iran would undermine broader regional de-escalation objectives. Nevertheless, prolonged instability in Iran would still threaten the viability of these connectivity initiatives.
Pakistan and Iran also have a shared interest in maintaining stability in Balochistan, as both countries continue to confront Baloch separatist militancy and other cross-border security threats. At the same time, these challenges have occasionally generated tensions, with each side accusing the other of failing to curb militant activities operating from its territory. This creates incentives for greater cooperation on border management. Expanding trade through border crossings and strengthening Gwadar’s role as a regional transit hub in the long term could cater to greater economic opportunities, which may help address some of the socioeconomic grievances that militant groups have historically sought to exploit, although this alone is unlikely to resolve deep-rooted political and security challenges. Given that border communities depend heavily on cross-border commerce for their livelihoods, ensuring the smooth functioning of legal trade routes is essential not only for economic growth but also for sustaining stability and containing illicit economies along the Iran-Pakistan border, which has been a lingering concern for both countries.
Naqvi’s visits, therefore, suggest that Pakistan’s engagement with Iran extends beyond mediation between Tehran and Washington and is increasingly driven by pragmatic considerations amid regional uncertainties. Islamabad views a stable Iran as critical for safeguarding trade routes, managing border security and advancing its broader connectivity ambitions while leveraging its role as a mediator.
