Pakistan army chief Munir in Tehran; Iran sets Hormuz conditions first

Pakistan's army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, held talks in Tehran on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, as Pakistan tries to stop a new round of fighting between Iran and the United States. According to an Iranian readout of the meeting, Tehran told the visitors that Washington cannot earn Iran's trust until it meets seven conditions Iran set last month for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi travelled with Munir.

The Strait of Hormuz is the narrow sea passage between Iran and Oman through which a large share of the world's oil and gas exports from the Gulf normally pass. The conflict between Iran and the United States has disrupted shipping there, and both sides have claimed control of the waterway. Any lasting deal to reopen it depends on talks between Tehran and Washington, and Pakistan has positioned itself as the main go-between.

Munir's visit shows that mediation is still alive but stuck. Iran's message, as reported from its own readout, is that it will not return to negotiations on trust alone and wants concrete steps first, including relief from the US blockade and oil sanctions. Its statement that nuclear material will not leave the country also rules out one of the options that has been discussed for settling the dispute over its enriched uranium. On the US side, there has been no public response to the latest Iranian conditions.

The visit also shows that Iran is keeping several channels open. Russia's foreign minister was in Tehran the day before, and Iranian officials have spoken of diplomacy while saying they are prepared to defend themselves. Reports quoting Iranian officials have suggested Tehran is in no hurry to conclude talks before the US midterm elections in November, though that has not been stated publicly by Iran's leadership.

For India, the outcome matters directly. India imports most of the crude oil it uses, and much of it has traditionally come from the Gulf through Hormuz. Disruption there has pushed up oil prices and freight costs, which feed into fuel prices, inflation and the rupee. Pakistan's role as the main mediator between Iran and the United States also gives Islamabad diplomatic weight in Washington and Tehran at a time when India is pursuing its own trade and energy talks with the United States.

Short-term: No breakthrough has been announced. Shipping through Hormuz remains at risk, and oil markets will watch for any sign that Washington is willing to ease the blockade or sanctions in return for a reopening.

Long-term: If Pakistan's mediation produces a new framework, it could lead to the reopening of Hormuz and lower energy prices. If it fails, the risk of renewed US-Iran fighting, which Pakistan's effort is trying to prevent, stays high.

Who is affected: Iran and the United States, Gulf oil exporters, shipping companies and their crews, oil-importing countries such as India, and Pakistan, whose standing as a mediator is at stake.

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