Iran accuses Pakistan of “double game,” targets Asim Munir over pro-US tilt

The cracks in Pakistan’s peace broker image are now impossible to ignore. Iranian state media this week launched a sharp, public attack on Pakistan’s Army Chief, General Asim Munir, accusing Islamabad of playing a “double game” in the US-Iran nuclear talks, tilting toward Washington while maintaining private access to Iranian leadership.

The broadside, aired during a televised debate on the Student News Network, has exposed a serious breakdown in trust between the two neighbors at the worst possible time for Pakistan, which has staked considerable diplomatic capital on positioning itself as the indispensable middleman in one of the world’s most dangerous standoffs.

The criticism marks a significant and public breakdown in diplomatic trust between the two Muslim-majority neighbours.

Pakistan’s carefully cultivated image as an indispensable peace broker between Washington and Tehran appears to be fading, as Iran accuses it of being partisan and playing a “double game,” alleging that Islamabad is leaning toward the US side.

Iran’s core grievance is straightforward: it says its proposals are being ignored. Tehran claims General Munir visited Iran, collected a formal 10-point negotiation framework to deliver to the Americans, and then nothing. No response, no acknowledgment, no commitment.

Making matters worse, Iranian analysts allege that Pakistan has deliberately abandoned Iran’s 10-point framework proposal and is now putting pressure on Tehran by pushing 15 to 16 new demands on behalf of Washington.

An SNN analyst put it bluntly: “According to the plan we had, Asim Munir came to Tehran, received our message, and this message was supposed to be delivered to the American side, which he must have done. But as far as I know, and as we have discussed at high levels, we have not yet received a response as to whether this message was accepted or not. I would even say that even if we do receive a response, he will return to Islamabad and the other party will say, ‘Well, I don’t accept this at all.'”

Tehran stated that General Munir visited Iran, collected a 10-point proposal intended for the American side, and delivered it — but Iran has received no response whatsoever.

Iranian analysts further alleged that Pakistan has since buried Tehran’s framework entirely and is now pushing 15 to 16 new demands on Washington’s behalf, a posture they say reveals where Islamabad’s loyalties truly lie.

The accusations land at a particularly awkward moment for Pakistan. Just as the previous ceasefire deadline was about to expire, Trump announced an extension on Truth Social, explicitly citing a “request” from both General Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The reversal was stark; hours earlier, Trump had earlier asserted that bombing was imminent if no deal was reached.

Sharif moved quickly to take credit, thanking Trump for granting more time for “ongoing diplomatic efforts” and confirming that a second round of talks is scheduled to be held in Pakistan, though he stopped short of providing any date.

Iranian media were unmoved, dismissing the announcement as a Pakistani public relations exercise, a manufactured appearance of progress designed to satisfy Washington and Riyadh while the actual process remains firmly stalled.