US ‘hopeful’ as Islamabad tries to prevail on Tehran

• Rubio sees progress towards ending war after Pakistani officials’ visit; upset by Nato allies’ snub • Reports suggest CDF Munir may travel to Iran if Naqvi-led talks lead to breakthrough • Tehran says it is reviewing latest US proposal; Hormuz control remains key sticking point ISLAMABAD: As Pakistani officials continued to lay the groundwork for a possible US-Iran rapprochement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared hopeful for progress towards ending the war with Iran, despite the rigid stances adopted by both countries. Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who is visiting Iran for the second time in a week, engaged the senior Iranian leadership, including Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni, on Thursday to prevent a communications breakdown. The efforts made by Pakistan were seemingly acknowledged by Rubio, who hoped for a breakthrough on the back of these talks, saying: “There’s some good signs… I don’t want to be overly optimistic … So, let’s see what happens over the next few days.” Rubio also renewed criticism of Nato allies for not supporting the US in its war on Iran, as he headed to alliance talks in Sweden, AFP reported. US President Donald Trump is “not asking them to send their fighter jets in. But they refuse to do anything,” he told reporters. “We were very upset about that.” “I believe the Pakistanis will be travelling to Tehran today. So hopefully that’ll advance this further,” Rubio told reporters on Thursday. View this post on Instagram His statement came amid reports that a high-level functionary from Pakistan could be travelling to the Iranian capital to capitalise on progress made by the interior minister. The Reuters wire service, quoting Iran’s ISNA news agency, reported that Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir...

Original source: Dawn Pakistan