Pakistani interior minister in Iran for talks on finalizing peace deal

Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi arrived in Iran on Saturday to discuss the continuation of negotiations with the United States in Switzerland with the Iranian leadership.

According to the pro-government Iranian news agency Mehr, Naqvi’s plane first landed in the pilgrimage city of Mashhad in the country’s north-east.

During his visit, Naqvi is expected to meet the heads of the Iranian negotiating team, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

Pakistan has officially been acting as a mediator between the warring parties Iran and the US since April.

Washington and Tehran signed a framework agreement earlier in the week that calls for an end to hostilities in the region and the restoration of commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. Further negotiations on contentious issues, such as the Iranian nuclear programme, are to follow within 60 days.

A first round of talks on a possible nuclear agreement in Switzerland was originally scheduled for Friday, but was cancelled due to renewed mutual attacks between the Israeli army and the pro-Iranian Hezbollah militia in Lebanon.

Early in the negotiations for the framework agreement, Iran demanded substantial reconstruction aid. The agreement envisions at least $300 billion as a kind of reconstruction fund, however the question of financing remains unresolved.

Tehran is additionally demanding an end to bank sanctions to regain access to the international financial system and thus be able to legally sell its oil, its most important source of revenue.

Iran has repeatedly emphasized that there will be no final agreement without this commitment.