Pakistan and Qatar have dispatched envoys to Iran, officials and diplomats said on Friday, as mediators intensified efforts to prevent a monthlong cease-fire between Washington and Tehran from collapsing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pakistan\u2019s army chief, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, who has played a central role in his country\u2019s mediation efforts, led a delegation that landed in Tehran, Iran\u2019s capital, on Friday evening, according to the Pakistani military. The high-profile visit appeared to signal that diplomatic efforts were picking up speed amid looming fears of a return to outright war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It remained unclear, however, how far the United States and Iran were from any kind of agreement. A spokesman for Iran\u2019s foreign ministry, Esmaeil Baghaei, said on Friday that \u201cdeep and extensive\u201d differences remained between the two sides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFor now, our focus is on ending the war,\u201d he said, according to IRNA, Iran\u2019s state news agency. But, he cautioned, \u201cdiplomacy takes time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Similarly, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Friday that there had been \u201csome progress\u201d but that diplomats were \u201cnot there yet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI hope we get there,\u201d he added, speaking during a trip to Sweden. \u201cThe president would prefer to do a good deal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Negotiations between the United States and Iran have been deadlocked for weeks over Iran\u2019s nuclear program and control of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global shipments of oil and gas and one of the conflict\u2019s central pressure points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Qatar also sent a team of officials to Iran to help broker an agreement between Washington and Tehran, according to two diplomats with knowledge of the mediation efforts. It was unclear when the Qatari delegation traveled to Tehran. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The decision to dispatch the Qatari team, which was reported by Reuters, was made in coordination with the United States, the diplomats added. Qatar has previously played a key role as a\u00a0back channel\u00a0with Iranian officials, including helping to broker a cease-fire last year between Israel and Iran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The shuttle diplomacy has unfolded under mounting pressure from President Trump, who said this week<\/a> that he had postponed a \u201cvery major attack\u201d against Iran after Gulf leaders asked for more time to pursue an agreement over Iran\u2019s nuclear program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n U.S. officials have voiced cautious hope about the potential of a deal, but warned that diplomacy remained fragile. On Friday, Mr. Rubio said<\/a> that U.S. officials were in \u201cconstant communication\u201d with Field Marshal Munir, with Pakistan as the primary mediator in the talks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He added that the \u201ccore pillars of any sort of agreement\u201d included the issues of the Strait of Hormuz and Iran\u2019s stockpile of highly enriched uranium<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n