With egard to resolving the US-Iran stand-off, two distinct approaches are being pursued simultaneously. The more mature track involves Pakistan and other regional countries that are trying to revive the Islamabad MoU and ensure a peaceful denouement to this crisis.

In this regard, Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir was in Tehran on Monday for talks with the Iranian leadership. The other — more combative — approach involves the US ramping up financial pressure on Iran through sanctions and what it calls an “economic onslaught”. The US on Monday announced a fresh set of sanctions targeting Iran under the imaginatively titled ‘Operation Economic Outcast’.

Field Marshal Munir met the Iranian president, as well as other top leaders, in Tehran. One of the positive outcomes of this interaction was Iran’s affirmation that it remains committed to the Islamabad MoU. However, as the Iranian national security chief said, “we distrust America”. This mutual distrust remains the biggest obstacle in operationalising the MoU. The reality is that America’s ramping up sanctions on Iran will do little to build bridges with Tehran. If anything, it will harden attitudes there.

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