BEIJING (The Thursday Times) — Field Marshal Asim Munir told Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing on Monday that a US-Iran agreement “is close to being reached,” according to Xinhua, China’s official state news agency. Munir said Pakistan was willing to continue its “all-out efforts” to facilitate the agreement. Wang Yi described Pakistan as a “trustworthy mediator” and said China “appreciates and supports” Islamabad’s diplomatic efforts. Wang also called Pakistan’s military an “important force” in China-Pakistan relations and said the friendship between the two countries has always been “as solid as a rock and unbreakable.”
The Thursday Times has covered Pakistan’s central mediation role throughout. Read our report on Iran publicly thanking Pakistan by name here. Read our report on Xi Jinping praising Pakistan’s mediation role here.
“Munir briefed Wang on the latest progress in mediating the US-Iran conflict, saying that an agreement is close to being reached and the Pakistani side is willing to continue its all-out efforts.” Xinhua, China’s official state news agency · 25 May 2026
What Munir told Wang Yi
Munir made the remarks during a meeting in Beijing held alongside Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s official visit to China. He briefed Wang on the latest developments in Pakistan’s role in negotiations aimed at easing tensions between Iran and the US, and expressed hope that China would play a larger role in the process. The meeting came one day after Munir had met Chinese President Xi Jinping alongside PM Shehbaz Sharif, where Xi praised Munir’s visit to Tehran and said China appreciated Pakistan’s constructive role.
Munir flew to Beijing after concluding overnight negotiations in Tehran on Saturday, which Pakistan’s army described as “highly productive” with “encouraging progress towards a final understanding.” Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman had separately thanked Pakistan by name earlier on Monday, citing PM Shehbaz Sharif, Deputy PM Ishaq Dar and Pakistan’s relevant agencies for their tireless efforts.
Wang Yi’s response
Wang Yi said China appreciated and supported Pakistan’s mediation efforts and described the friendship between the two countries as “always solid as a rock and unbreakable, no matter how the international and regional situation changes.” He welcomed Munir and PM Sharif’s visit to China together, noting that the two countries had maintained a high level of political mutual trust, practical cooperation and international coordination. China has said it would work with Pakistan to “make positive contributions to the early restoration of peace and stability in the Middle East.”
Where the deal stands
Munir’s assessment that a deal is close to being reached is the most direct public statement yet from Pakistan’s mediator on the state of negotiations. It follows Trump’s Truth Social post on Saturday announcing the agreement was “largely negotiated” and Iran’s Foreign Ministry saying understandings had been reached on “most issues.” However, Trump also said on Sunday that he had told his representatives “not to rush” and that the blockade would remain until a deal is “reached, certified and signed.” Iran has said the Strait of Hormuz will not return to its pre-war status until the blockade is lifted.
The framework being discussed would unfold in three stages: formally ending the war, resolving the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, and launching a 30-day window for further negotiations, according to sources cited by Reuters. Two Pakistani sources involved in the negotiations told Reuters the deal being negotiated is “fairly comprehensive to terminate the war.”
The Thursday Times will continue to update this story as events develop.
Sources: Xinhua, Anadolu Agency, Reuters, CBS News live updates. All quotes attributed to named officials in public statements or official state media. This is a developing story and will be updated as events unfold.
