• Houthi attacks, Makkah defence pact ‘on the agenda’ as army chief travels to Tehran today
• Visit comes as Washington prepares to unveil fresh sanctions against Iran; Araghchi calls threats ‘sign of desperation’
• Pezeshkian says nation emerged as a ‘power that amazed the world with resistance, solidarity & unity’
TEHRAN: Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir is expected to travel to Tehran on Monday to continue efforts to bring peace and security to the region, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said on Sunday.
He said CDF Munir would lead an official delegation and the “visit aims to strengthen bilateral cooperation between Iran and Pakistan and to continue Pakistan’s good offices in support of peace and security in the region”.
Pakistan has played a key role in efforts to halt war between Iran and the United States, brokering a memorandum of understanding in June, but peace negotiations currently appear stalled.
During the visit, CDF Munir would meet and hold talks with senior officials Iran, Baqaei added.
However, there was no official word from Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) regarding the army chief’s schedule.
According to the Reuters news agency, CDF Munir is expected to “discuss peace under Islamabad’s MoU, Trump’s warning and the situation after the Pakistan-Turkiye-Saudi Arab Agreement and Houthi issues with Iranian leaders”.
Earlier in the day, Field Marshal Munir spoke to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi over the phone to discuss “regional developments and effective ways to strengthen peace, stability and security in West Asia,” the Iranian government said in a post on X.
Mr Araghchi also spoke to his Egyptian counterpart, Badr Abdelatty, IRNA reported.
Field Marshal Munir’s expected visit comes amid heightened tensions as Iran threatens a military response to US plans for sanctions that could further put a strain on the Islamic republic’s ailing economy.
It will coincide with a Monday announcement on details related to the planned sanctions, which US officials have said would be “the toughest sanctions in history” on Iran.
Trump had warned of economic consequences against any country that provided “any type of lifeline to Iran” as he seeks to isolate the country.
‘Sign of desperation’
Meanwhile, Mr Araghchi dismissed the threat of new US sanctions as a sign of desperation on Sunday and said the expected new measures would fail to defeat Tehran. He was reacting to a threat by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who threatened to impose “the toughest sanctions in history” on Iran.
Describing these as “repetitive scenarios”, Mr Araghchi said in a video posted on Telegram: “The fact that they [US leaders] have moved on from military operations ... to bring up the same old plans shows that they are desperate.”
He said Washington must speak to Iran respectfully to find “a solution based on justice and honour.” “We have never been afraid. All of their actions — whether blockades or other military moves they have made — have failed, and this new issue of theirs will fail as well,” he said.
Separately, Iranian Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Saturday that Tehran had received “numerous messages” from neighbouring countries about establishing new regional security arrangements and economic cooperation.
Mr Ghalibaf did not say specify which countries, but accused the US of endangering the security of its allies in the region for the sake of Israel, adding that an independent, “homegrown” regional order would deliver peace and security.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said that an attempt was made to “turn Iran into another Venezuela”; however, the country has emerged as a “power that amazed the world with its resistance, solidarity & unity,” Press TV reports.
“Our people achieved something remarkable,” Pezeshkian was quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, the Iranian president acknowledged on Sunday that his country’s citizens face “many problems”, after the United States launched a new wave of sanctions seeking to further isolate its economy.
“I understand we have many problems in society right now. We are trying to prevent these as much as we can,” Pezeshkian said in a speech broadcast on state television.
Pezeshkian said that, thanks to US President Donald Trump, Iran was “in a full-scale economic, military and security war”.
“He says he is imposing the most crushing and terrifying sanctions on Iran,” Pezeshkian said.
The Iranian government has faced several waves of mass protest in recent years, often triggered by economic hardships, including inflation and exchange rate swings leading to declining purchasing power.
“We are striving with all our hearts to overcome inflation, livelihood problems, unemployment, and to secure the future of the people, so that they can live with dignity and pride,” he said.
Published in Dawn, August 24th, 2026
