Reporting snapshot · 19 September 2026. The Express Tribune reported on 19 September, citing a senior government official, that Pakistan was preparing to send another high-level delegation to Tehran. There was no official confirmation from Islamabad or Tehran when this article was published, and the composition of the delegation had not been announced.
What happened
Pakistan is preparing to send another high-level delegation to Tehran in a fresh diplomatic push aimed at breaking the stalemate between Iran and the United States as well as containing rapidly escalating tensions between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthis, a senior government official told The Express Tribune, which reported the plan on 19 September.
There was no official confirmation of the planned visit from Islamabad or Tehran. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said another visit to the Iranian capital was being planned and could take place very soon, but did not disclose the composition of the delegation. Diplomatic and government sources indicated that Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi was likely to lead it.
Why the visit matters now
The proposed visit comes at a particularly sensitive moment for Pakistan, which has spent months trying to hold together two roles at once: mediator between Washington and Tehran, and security partner to Riyadh. Islamabad’s diplomatic efforts acquired a new dimension this week as fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-aligned Houthis intensified, with Riyadh carrying out airstrikes against Houthi positions while the group launched drone and missile attacks against Saudi territory. The escalation has raised concerns about the security of Saudi energy infrastructure and shipping routes around the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandab Strait.
The latest initiative follows a telephone conversation between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir, whom Iranian media said discussed the latest regional developments while Araghchi was in Beijing. According to the Financial Times, Munir subsequently conveyed Pakistan’s concerns to Iranian officials over the Houthi attacks and urged Tehran to restrain the group, warning that the situation could have implications for Pakistan’s defence commitments to Saudi Arabia.
Pakistan’s position has become more consequential since the signing of the Pakistan–Saudi Arabia–Turkiye Makkah Joint Defence Agreement in August, under which an armed attack on one signatory is to be treated as an attack on all. On Friday, Director General Inter-Services Public Relations Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said Pakistan’s commitment to the kingdom’s security was “unconditional”, a pledge KhabarWire reported on 18 September. The possibility of Pakistani military involvement, however, has not been formally raised by Riyadh, and Islamabad has continued to emphasise diplomatic efforts.
What the delegation would seek
The proposed Naqvi visit could serve two parallel objectives: conveying Pakistan’s concerns to Tehran over the Houthi escalation while also trying to revive the broader diplomatic track between Iran and Washington. Pakistan has already made several mediation attempts during the seven-month-old conflict that began with United States and Israeli strikes on Iran in February. Islamabad hosted indirect contacts between the United States and Iran and has continued to argue that the dispute cannot be resolved through military means. Its army chief has travelled to Tehran four times since April, most recently on a visit in August.
Those efforts have gained urgency as the conflict has begun affecting both major maritime energy routes in the region. Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains severely reduced, while the security situation around the Bab el-Mandab has also deteriorated. Reuters reported on Friday that only four commodity vessels transited Hormuz on Thursday, compared with a 10-day average of 16. Oil prices eased on Friday after diplomatic outreach, including efforts to persuade Iran to rein in Houthi attacks on Saudi energy infrastructure.
Pakistan has also been pressing the case at the United Nations. At a Security Council Arria Formula meeting convened by Bahrain, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, called on the Houthis to end their attacks on merchant shipping in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, warning that they “could have dire consequences for maritime security, and regional peace and stability”, and that the kingdom was facing “blatant and unprovoked aggression”. The UN Security Council held its second major discussion this week on the escalating threat to the strategic waterway.
What is still uncertain
The most important open question is whether the reported visit will go ahead and who will lead it. Neither Islamabad nor Tehran has confirmed the plan, and the official who spoke to The Express Tribune did not identify the delegation’s members. A visit by Naqvi would be his latest in a series of trips to Tehran this year; he accompanied the army chief on an August visit and has travelled to Iran several times as part of Islamabad’s shuttle diplomacy.
Washington and Tehran remain far from resolving their differences. US President Donald Trump has said he hopes the war with Iran is nearing an end, but negotiations remain stalled, with disagreements persisting over security guarantees and freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, the issues that derailed implementation of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding. Pakistan has continued to describe that agreement as the available framework for a return to dialogue.
Whether the fresh push succeeds depends on factors beyond Islamabad’s control: whether Iran is willing to use its influence over the Houthis, whether Riyadh escalates or de-escalates its air campaign, and whether Washington and Tehran can agree on a path back to the negotiating table. As former foreign secretary Jauhar Saleem put it to Al Jazeera this month, Islamabad’s commitments to Riyadh carry greater risk than its US-Iran mediation ever did. The reported delegation is, for now, a sign of intent rather than a settled outcome.
Sources & reporting notes
This is a synthesis of published material, not eyewitness reporting. Sources were reviewed on 19 September 2026. The planned delegation is reported on the basis of a single senior government official quoted by The Express Tribune; neither Islamabad nor Tehran had confirmed the visit when this article was published.
- The Express Tribune — Pakistan plans fresh diplomatic push19 September 2026 · Primary report of the planned high-level delegation to Tehran, the senior official's account, the likely Naqvi leadership, the Munir–Araghchi call, and Pakistan's UN statement on Houthi attacks.
- Reuters — As Saudi tensions with Iran-backed Houthis escalate, mediator Pakistan faces pressure to choose a side11 September 2026 · Independent report on Pakistan's delivery of a Saudi warning to Iran, the Munir–Araghchi call, the Makkah pact's first major test, and the restraint on Pakistani forces.
- Al Jazeera English — Why Pakistan is talking to Iran as the Houthi-Saudi fight escalates11 September 2026 · Independent analysis of Pakistan's diplomatic channel to Tehran, its four army-chief visits, the FO's non-denials, and analyst assessments including Jauhar Saleem.
- The News International (Reuters) — On a tightrope between Riyadh, Tehran amid Houthi onslaught12 September 2026 · Independent wire analysis of the mutual defence pact's first test, the Saudi warning delivered to Iran, and the deployment of Pakistani forces near the Saudi border.
- Radio Pakistan — Pakistan reiterates Iran nuclear issue should be addressed through peaceful means18 September 2026 · Primary record of Pakistan's UN statement on the Iran nuclear issue and its call to implement the Islamabad MoU.
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