US-Iran Peace Deal Closer? Asim Munir Heads To Tehran As Iran Readies Reply To Truce Offer

US-Iran Peace Deal Closer? Asim Munir Heads To Tehran As Iran Readies Reply To Truce Offer Published By, Last Updated: May 21, 2026, 17:06 IST US President Donald Trump has said negotiations with Iran had entered their “final stages”, signalling optimism about a possible breakthrough. Rapid Read Pakistan has increasingly emerged as a key intermediary in the negotiations between the two sides. (Photos: PTI + X) US-Iran Peace Talks: A major diplomatic breakthrough in the ongoing US-Iran conflict could be on the horizon on Thursday, amid reports that Pakistan’s Army Chief Asim Munir is heading to Tehran and Iran is preparing its formal response to a US-backed proposal aimed at ending the conflict. The developments come as international efforts to secure a permanent peace agreement between Washington and Tehran gather momentum following months of military escalation and stalled negotiations. Trump Says Talks In ‘Final Stages’ Earlier on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump said negotiations with Iran had entered their “final stages", signalling optimism about a possible breakthrough. However, Trump also warned that military action remained an option if diplomacy failed to produce a lasting agreement. A fragile ceasefire brokered on April 8 had temporarily halted the war launched weeks earlier by the United States and Israel against Iran. Despite the truce, multiple rounds of negotiations since then have failed to produce a comprehensive peace deal. Pakistan Playing Key Mediation Role Pakistan has increasingly emerged as a key intermediary in the negotiations between the two sides. Last month, Islamabad hosted a high-level summit involving a US delegation led by Vice President JD Vance and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Although the talks failed to produce a breakthrough at the time, diplomatic engagement between Washington and Tehran has continued through multiple backchannel proposals and counter-proposals. Against this backdrop, reports of Asim Munir’s visit to Tehran are being viewed as a significant development that could help narrow remaining differences between the two sides. Araghchi Meets Pakistan’s Mohsin Naqvi Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Wednesday met Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi in Tehran. Naqvi, who travelled to Iran for the second time this week, held discussions with Iranian officials, including the country’s interior minister and president, amid intensified regional diplomatic activity surrounding the conflict. The meetings are being seen as part of broader efforts by Pakistan to facilitate dialogue and prevent a fresh outbreak of war in West Asia. Iran’s Supreme Leader Says Enriched Uranium Must Stay In Iran Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has reportedly directed that the country’s stockpile of near-weapons-grade uranium must not be sent abroad, according to two senior Iranian sources, potentially complicating ongoing peace negotiations with the United States. The reported order signals a hardening of Tehran’s position on one of Washington’s key demands in talks aimed at ending the ongoing US-Israeli conflict with Iran. According to Israeli officials cited by Reuters, Trump had assured Israel that any future peace agreement with Tehran would require Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile to be removed from the country. The US, Israel and several European countries have long accused Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons capability, pointing to Tehran’s enrichment of uranium up to 60% purity — significantly above levels needed for civilian energy use and much closer to the roughly 90% enrichment generally required for a nuclear weapon. Iran, however, has consistently denied seeking nuclear weapons, maintaining that its nuclear programme is intended solely for peaceful and civilian purposes. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit Location: Tehran, Iran First Published: May 21, 2026, 16:46 IST News world US-Iran Peace Deal Closer? Asim Munir Heads To Tehran As Iran Readies Reply To Truce Offer Disclaimer: Comments reflect users’ views, not News18’s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...