Pakistan army chief meets Iran's president in Tehran

Pakistan's army chief Asim Munir met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Tehran on Monday as Islamabad seeks to mediate a resolution to the Middle East war. The visit follows a US source confirming President Donald Trump spoke with Munir last week. Pakistan has played a key role in efforts to halt the Iran-US conflict, brokering a memorandum of understanding in June, though peace negotiations currently appear stalled. Munir also met Iran's parliamentary speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, plus Mohsen Rezaei, head of the national security body. Iran's foreign ministry said the visit supports Pakistan's efforts to consolidate regional peace and security. Separately, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced plans for the "economic asphyxiation" of Iran, expanding secondary sanctions threats against countries not joining the campaign.