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Munir, the chief of Pakistan’s armed forces, has forged a bond with Trump, who regularly praises his work in mediating the US-Iran negotiations.
A delegation from Qatar also joined the field marshal in Tehran to lobby Iranian officials to make an agreement with Washington.
Doha and other Gulf states have been increasingly concerned Iran will target their oil and gas infrastructure as retaliation if the US decides to renew military action this weekend, sources familiar with the matter tell The Post.
“Many Gulf countries want a deal — but they want the right deal,” a regional source said. “Not a half-baked arrangement that will let Iran keep holding the Strait of Hormuz hostage.”
Saudi Arabian state media claimed to have obtained a copy of a deal framework that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resume peace talks within a week — but it made no mention of Tehran’s nuclear program, the longstanding sticking point between the two adversaries.
That omission fueled skepticism in Washington and Jerusalem, where officials have argued that Tehran has repeatedly used regional negotiations to sidestep pressure over its nuclear ambitions.
Among the reported provisions were commitments by both sides to avoid targeting military, civilian, or economic infrastructure; ensure freedom of navigation in the strait; halt media “incitement” — and on the US side, gradually lift some sanctions in exchange for Iran’s adherence to the agreement.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio cast doubt on the reporting Friday, telling reporters at a NATO meeting in Sweden that “it would be pretty ambitious to be able to open the straits at this meeting here today.”
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“We all would love to see an agreement with Iran in which the straits are open and they abandon their nuclear ambitions and so forth,” he said. “That’s what we would all hope for, and that’s what we’re going to continue to work on, and that’s what work is ongoing, even as I speak to you now.”
Still, Rubio reiterated that if diplomacy fails, the US has other options — including military strikes Trump has repeatedly threatened.
“We also have to have a Plan B, and Plan B is what if Iran refuses to open the straits? What if Iran decides, ‘We refuse to open the straits, we’re going to own the straits, and we’re going to charge tolls for it?’” he said. “At that point, something has to be done about it.”
Rubio then suggested that European nations should want to get more involved in reopening the strait for free navigation.
“I would argue that there are countries represented here today that are more deeply impacted by this than even the United States is,” he said.
Still, the secretary had cautious optimism that Munir’s visit to Iran might produce some progress.
“We’re in constant communication with (Munir) at the highest levels of our government,” he said. “We are constantly talking to him.
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