Mediator Pakistan ramps up diplomatic efforts to end US-Iran war as Gulf countries warn of escalation.

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has travelled to Iran to deliver a “special letter” to Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei as part of diplomatic efforts to end the United States-Israeli war on Iran, which began 100 days ago.

Naqvi arrived in the Iranian capital, Tehran, late on Saturday, and met his Iranian counterpart, Eskandar Momeni. The two discussed the “latest regional developments and matters related to internal security”, among other issues, Naqvi said on social media. Before his arrival, Iranian media reported that the Pakistani official was carrying a letter from his country’s army chief and prime minister ⁠⁠for the supreme leader.

His visit comes amid renewed tensions in the Gulf region. On Sunday, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces had shot down two Iranian one-way attack drones “that threatened international maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz”.

On Friday, it said it intercepted seven ballistic missiles heading towards Kuwait and Bahrain hours after it had shot down four Iranian drones launched towards the strait, a key waterway through which about 20 percent of globally traded oil normally passes. United States forces said they “subsequently” struck Iranian coastal surveillance radar sites in Garuk and on Qeshm Island “to defend against further maritime attacks”.

The attacks drew the ire of Gulf nations that are bearing the brunt of a war they lobbied against. Bahrain denounced the latest attacks as “blatant aggression”. The island nation hosts the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet. Kuwait said the attacks “represent a dangerous escalation”. Egypt, Jordan and Qatar joined the condemnation.

Negotiations at ‘deadlock’

Despite tit-for-tat attacks and sporadic exchanges of fire, negotiations over a deal to end the war are continuing, but an agreement remains elusive.

US President Donald Trump has alternated between threatening a renewed military campaign and expressing optimism about a diplomatic breakthrough. On Wednesday, he said an agreement could be finalised over the weekend.

But Iranian officials have offered a more cautious tone. “The negotiations are at a deadlock, and Trump must break this deadlock,” Mohsen Rezaei, military adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, told US media outlet CNN on Saturday. He also called for the release of about $24bn in frozen Iranian assets.

The unfreezing of Iranian assets is one of the key sticking points in ongoing talks. On Wednesday, media reports said US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was considering using them to support rebuilding efforts in the Gulf caused by Iranian attacks.

“The Treasury will utilise all tools available to allow Iranian assets to be made available to our Gulf allies to support rebuilding and repairs for any future damage caused by Iran,” a US official told several news agencies.

Other sticking points include an end to hostilities across all fronts, including Lebanon; sanctions waivers on crude exports; the lifting of a US port blockade; and leverage over the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran has blocked the narrow waterway since the US and Israel launched the war on February 28. Tehran responded by firing waves of drones and missiles at Israel, US targets in the region and neighbouring Gulf countries.

It declared the Strait of Hormuz closed and threatened to attack vessels transiting through the narrow waterway without its permission. Its effective control of the trade chokepoint sent oil and gas prices to a multi-year high and threatened global supplies.

Armed hostilities largely subsided after the temporary Pakistan-mediated ceasefire began on April 8 . Direct talks in Islamabad broke down on April 12, and the two sides have exchanged a series of proposals to end the war via Pakistan since then. However, several flare-ups since have led to growing fears that full‑scale fighting could resume.

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