- Pakistan's army chief Asim Munir was the first foreign leader to visit Iran since US-Iran tensions escalated
- He maintained personal relations with late IRGC commanders Qassem Soleimani and Hossein Salami
- Critics warn Munir's IRGC links raise concerns for US trust amid Pakistan's complex regional role
Pakistan's army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, was the first foreign leader who visited Iran since the conflict between the US and Iran escalated. He is a figure who has rare close relationships with both US President Donald Trump and Iran's military hierarchy.
According to Fox News Digital, that is because while Munir was serving as Pakistan's director general of military intelligence in 2016 and 2017, he began building ties with Iran.
"He has been interacting with the leadership. He has been interacting with the intelligence community. He has been interacting with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)," Retired Pakistani General Ahmed Saeed told the channel.
Saeed said that apart from the IRGC, Munir also has ties with Iran's regular army and their intelligence. According to him, Munir enjoyed close friendships with former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a US strike in 2020, and commander Hossein Salami, who was killed in an Israeli strike in 2025.
"He continues to be a figure internationally who has personal interactions, a personal equation in the intelligence community in Iran, in the military hierarchy in Iran, in the diplomatic corps of Iran and also on the side of the political leadership," Saeed said.
Bill Roggio, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defence of Democracies, told the channel that Trump should not trust the Pakistanis and that Munir's ties to the IRGC are a "red flag" for the US.
"Trump should not trust the Pakistanis. Pakistan was a perfidious 'ally' in Afghanistan, backing the Taliban while pretending to be our friends. Munir's ties to the IRGC should be a massive red flag for the Trump admin", Roggio claimed.
Pakistani analyst Raza Rumi said that the rise of figures like Munir only goes to show how the military is "increasingly eclipsing" civilian leadership in Pakistan.
Munir, on Saturday, finished a three-day visit to Iran aimed at securing the peace deal. He met Iran's top leadership and peace negotiators during a three-day visit to Tehran, a Pakistani military statement said.
He held talks with the country's president, foreign minister, parliament speaker and the head of Iran's military central command centre.
A second round of talks between the United States and Iran is expected in Islamabad this coming week.
Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world
