Iran foreign minister Araghchi meets Pakistan Army chief Munir
Islamabad (PTI): Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Saturday met Pakistan Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir here, as Islamabad continued its efforts to facilitate engagement between the US and Iran.
The meeting, according to a short video posted by the Iranian embassy on social media, was also attended by Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei, and Iran's ambassador Reza Amiri Moghadam.
Araghchi calls on Munir, the embassy said in the video caption.
It did not provide further details about the discussions.
Araghchi arrived here late Friday for engagements with the Pakistani leadership. He was received by senior officials, including Munir, foreign minister Ishaq Dar and interior minister Mohsin Naqvi.
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However, there is no clarity on whether direct talks between Washington and Tehran will take place during the visit.
"No meeting is planned to take place between Iran and the US. Iran's observations would be conveyed to Pakistan," Baqaei said in a social media post on Saturday.
Araghchi, before leaving for Islamabad, said that he was embarking on a timely tour of Islamabad, Muscat, and Moscow, and the purpose of his visits is to "closely coordinate with our partners on bilateral matters and consult on regional developments".
"Our neighbours are our priority," he said.
As the Iranian team landed in Islamabad, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that US Special Envoy on the Middle East Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's adviser Jared Kushner would be leaving for Pakistan on Saturday "to engage in direct talks" with representatives of the Iranian delegation.
However, the US team has not yet arrived.
Meanwhile, Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Dar, in a social media post, expressed hope for "meaningful engagements" between the two warring parties to promote regional peace and stability.
The first round of US-Iran talks held on April 11 and 12 failed to produce a breakthrough, prompting a flurry of diplomatic efforts by host Pakistan to cool tensions and revive hopes for another round of dialogue.
On Tuesday, Trump extended the two-week ceasefire with Iran indefinitely to give Tehran more time to prepare a unified proposal to end the war, just hours before the truce was set to expire.
The Iran war began on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes.
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38-year-old man murdered inside hotel in Mundgod; hunt on for accused
Karwar: A 38-year-old man was killed by a group of assailants inside a hotel in Mundgod on Friday night, police said.
The deceased has been identified as Zameer Ahmed Dargawale, a resident of Noorani Galli.
According to police sources, Zameer had gone to the hotel along with a friend at around 11 pm. During this time, three to four unidentified men allegedly entered the premises, threw a substance into his eyes and attacked him with a knife.
Police said the attackers allegedly stabbed him in the neck. Though he reportedly tried to run for safety, he collapsed in the hotel kitchen and died on the spot.
Investigators said Zameer had allegedly been kidnapped around one-and-a-half years ago and was later rescued in a police operation. He was also reportedly named in five cases, including betting-related offences.
Sirsi DSP Geeta Patil Geeta Patil and Uttara Kannada SP Deepan M N visited the scene and inspected the spot.
The body has been shifted to Karwar for post-mortem examination. Police said three teams have been formed to trace the accused.
