All eyes are on Pakistan as US and Iranian delegates finally meet in Islamabad on Saturday amid conflict between the nations. Upon arrival, Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir reached Nur Khan Air Base to receive US Vice President JD Vance, ahead of ceasefire talks with Iran. What caught everyone’s attention was Munir’s attire. He wore a black suit and ditched his usual military uniform.
Asim Munir meets JD Vance in a suit
Vance was seen with US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and US special envoy Steve Witkoff.
Asim Munir wears a military uniform for Iran
Earlier, Asim Munir wore his military uniform, his favorite attire, when welcoming delegates from Iran. Among others, Speaker of the Parliament Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, President Seyed Abbas Araghchi arrived in Pakistan from Iran on Friday.
According to many reports, analysts suggest that leaders’ clothing can subtly influence how diplomatic engagements are perceived. Changes in clothing often seem to reflect the tone of the engagement.
In this case, Asim Munir’s transition from a military uniform to a black suit during the visit of the American delegation appears to be a deliberate move to present himself as more diplomatic and statesmanlike, while maintaining the authority associated with his earlier appearance in uniform.
His decision to personally receive the delegation at Nur Khan Air Base also seemed to indicate the importance of the visit, especially given his position as a highly influential military leader in Pakistan.
At the same time, Pakistan, despite its own tensions with Afghanistan, appears to want to take the position of an active diplomatic player by offering to broker a peace deal between the US and Iran.
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Iran-US meeting in Pakistan
Trump had previously wished Vance the best of luck. “We’ll find out what’s going on. They’re defeated militarily,” he said.
On Saturday, Iran and the United States arrived at what Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called “make or break” talks.
On Saturday morning, the Iranian delegation left their residence for the prime minister’s office to begin formal negotiations. The meeting comes after a week of global anticipation following the April 8 ceasefire announcement.
In a post on X, the Consulate General of Iran in Mumbai said, “The Iranian delegation left their residence on their way to the Prime Minister’s Office for a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
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Iran’s Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref said that if Iranian representatives meet with “America First” officials, a win-win deal for both sides and the world is likely. However, if they are faced with ‘Israel First’ representatives, there will be no deal.
In a post on X, he said: “If we negotiate in Islamabad with ‘America First’ representatives, a deal is likely to be beneficial to both sides and the world. But if we face ‘Israel First’ representatives, there will be no deal; we will inevitably continue to defend ourselves even more vigorously than before, and the world will face greater costs.”
Meanwhile, security has been beefed up for the meeting.
