Iran told Pakistan’s army chief that it would keep all enriched nuclear material inside the country, setting a limit for Islamabad’s effort to restart talks between Tehran and Washington.
At an Oct. 20 meeting in Tehran, Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei told Pakistani army chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir that the material was a national asset intended for domestic use, Iranian state broadcaster Press TV reported. Rezaei said none of it would be sent abroad. His statement did not establish the current size or location of Iran’s stockpile.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told Munir in a separate meeting that Tehran was willing to negotiate if the United States first lifted sanctions and ended its threats. Pezeshkian cited attacks during earlier diplomatic efforts as a reason for his distrust of Washington. He also said further war would impose costs on Iran, the region and the United States.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf told Munir that Washington would have to meet seven demands Tehran had already presented for a ceasefire to endure, Press TV reported. Tehran has also tied those conditions to reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Pakistan helped arrange a two-week U.S.-Iran ceasefire in April. The United States and Iran subsequently signed an Islamabad memorandum on June 17, according to a U.S. administration statement. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the memorandum’s initial steps called for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and the United States to lift its naval blockade.
The governments disagree over whether those commitments were honored. Pezeshkian accused Washington of failing to meet its obligations. The U.S. administration alleged that Iran attacked commercial vessels on July 6 and 7 and said those attacks were inconsistent with the memorandum.
Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said Oct. 19 that Islamabad was continuing its efforts to bring the two sides back to talks. The accounts of Munir’s Oct. 20 meetings announced no date for another round.
