US President Donald Trump spoke with Pakistan’s army ​chief Asim Munir last week ahead of Munir’s trip to Tehran on ‌Monday, according to three Pakistani sources, with one saying the main US request was to use Pakistan’s influence to bring Iran back to negotiations, Reuters reported.

Trump last week warned of economic consequences against any country that ​provided “any type of lifeline to Iran” as he seeks to isolate the Islamic ​Republic. Iran has in turn vowed to shut down all oil exports ⁠from the Gulf.

Last week’s call, which has not been previously reported, was initiated ​by Trump, according to two Pakistani sources.

The White House Office of the Press Secretary did ​not immediately respond to a request for comment. It was unclear what Munir and Trump discussed in detail.

Munir arrived in Tehran on Monday accompanied by Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Pakistan’s military confirmed, saying ​it was “part of Pakistan’s efforts to promote regional peace and stability.”

Pakistan, which has played ​a key mediating role between the US and Iran this year, has remained a trading partner of ‌Iran ⁠throughout the recent fighting.

Munir was expected to meet with people close to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei on Monday, one Pakistani source said.

Another Pakistani government source said while US-Iran tensions were a focus of the visit, Munir was also expected to discuss ​recent attacks by Iran-aligned ​Houthi fighters on Pakistan’s ⁠ally Saudi Arabia as well as the recently signed mutual defence agreement between Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

Pakistan’s earlier mediation efforts ​between the U.S. and Iran resulted in an interim peace agreement ​signed in ⁠June. But the Islamabad Memorandum quickly faltered, amid new fighting between Iran and the US that has threatened to spiral into a wider regional conflict in recent weeks.

“There is a trust ⁠deficit ​on both sides,” a third Pakistani source said about ​the US and Iran, adding that Munir’s aim was to mitigate the lack of mutual trust on Monday.

Iran’s foreign minister dismissed the threat of new US sanctions ​as a sign of desperation on Sunday and said the expected new measures would fail to defeat Tehran, Reuters reported.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, ‌who is due to hold a press conference at 2 p.m. EDT (1800 GMT) on Monday, has threatened to impose “the toughest sanctions in history” on Iran.

Iran’s economy is already under huge pressure from international sanctions, its infrastructure has been hit repeatedly and thousands of people have been killed in airstrikes on the Islamic Republic since the U.S. and Israel launched attacks ​on February 28.

But Tehran remains defiant after nearly six months of war and has brought shipping to a virtual standstill in the Strait of ​Hormuz, refusing to allow unauthorized oil tankers to transit a waterway that is vital for global oil shipments. The effective ⁠blockade of the strait has pushed up global oil prices.

Describing what he said were “repetitive scenarios”, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said in a video posted on ​Telegram: “The fact that they (US leaders) have moved on from military operations … to bring up the same old plans shows that they are desperate.”

He said Washington must speak ​to Iran respectfully to find “a solution based on justice and honour.”

“We have never been afraid. All of their actions – whether blockades or other military moves they have made – have failed, and this new issue of theirs will fail as well,” he said.

US President Donald Trump has warned of economic consequences against any country that provides “any type of lifeline to Iran” and ​Bessent has urged cooperation with Washington by China, which buys more than 80% of Iran’s shipped oil, according to 2025 data from analytics firm Kpler. China ​has urged diplomacy.

Iran said Pakistan’s army chief, Asim Munir, would visit Tehran on Monday as part of efforts to restore peace and security in the ‌region, but ⁠gave few details.

Pakistan has been mediating in the conflict and a Pakistani government source said Munir would touch on recent developments including the U.S. threat of new sanctions.

Trump said on Friday that Washington was observing “what happens” in the conflict, read the report.

“They would love to make a deal, but they’re not ready to make the right deal, in my opinion,” Trump said of Iran.

US attacks have severely diminished Iran’s economy and devastated its navy and air force, but Tehran maintains enough missile and ​drone capability to impede oil tanker ​traffic and attack regional rivals.

Iranian Parliament ⁠speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said on Saturday that Tehran had received “numerous messages” from neighbouring countries about establishing new regional security arrangements and economic cooperation.

Qalibaf did not say which countries he was referring to. He accused the US of endangering ​the security of its allies in the region for the sake of Israel, adding that an independent, “homegrown” regional order ​would deliver peace and ⁠security.

Trump has yet to achieve objectives he set at the start of the war such as dismantling Iran’s nuclear programme — the state of which remains uncertain given that U.N. inspectors have been shut out since 2025 — and creating conditions for Iranians to overthrow their clerical rulers.

While Iran remains defiant, President Masoud Pezeshkian has also called for ⁠a diplomatic ​solution.

“It would be better to end the war today, when we are powerful and have dignity, ​and the whole world acknowledges our victory and emphasizes that America, contrary to all regulations, attacked our schools, hospitals, and infrastructure and is hated in the world,” the ISNA news agency quoted ​him as saying on Friday.

Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir will visit Tehran on Monday to continue efforts to bring peace ​and security to the region, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil ‌Baghaei said on Sunday, according to a statement by the ministry.

Pakistan has taken on a mediator role in negotiations between Iran and the U.S. aimed ​at ending the war which began with U.S. and ​Israeli strikes on Iran in February.

Two Pakistani government sources confirmed ⁠Munir’s visit to Reuters. The first source said that Iran ​and Pakistan were in direct contact.

A second source said the talks ​would also address recent developments in the conflict, including U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat of tougher sanctions on Iran.

“He (Munir) will discuss peace under Islamabad’s MoU, Trump’s ​warning and the situation after the Pakistan-Turkey-Saudi Arab Agreement and Houthi ​issues with Iranian leaders,” the source said.

The visit comes amid heightened tensions as ‌Iran threatens ⁠a military response to U.S. plans for sanctions that could further put a strain on the Islamic Republic’s ailing economy.

It will coincide with a Monday announcement on details related to the planned sanctions which ​U.S. officials have ​said would be “the ⁠toughest sanctions in history” on Iran.

Trump had warned of economic consequences against any country that provided “any type ​of lifeline to Iran” as he seeks to isolate ​the ⁠Islamic Republic.

Oil shipments are at a virtual standstill in the Strait of Hormuz, with Tehran threatening to strike any unauthorized oil tankers that ⁠try to ​transit the vital waterway, and Iran’s ​economy is already under immense pressure from sanctions.