Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who recently emerged as a chief negotiator in talks with the United States, has been appointed to oversee relations with China, Iranian media reported on Sunday.
“Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has recently been appointed as a special representative of the Islamic republic of Iran for China affairs,” Tasnim news agency reported, citing “informed sources,” with other media carrying similar reports.
It was not immediately clear who appointed Ghalibaf to the role, but Tasnim said he would “coordinate various sectors of relations between Iran and China.”
Pakistan’s Interior Minister arrived in Tehran on Saturday “to facilitate” the peace talks between Iran and the US that have stalled despite a fragile ceasefire, Iranian media reported.
Islamabad has been actively mediating in the peace talks and last month hosted a high stakes meeting between delegations from both sides.
A ceasefire that began on April 8 has largely halted the fighting that erupted when US and Israeli forces attacked Iran on February 28.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Friday that Tehran had received messages from Washington indicating that President Donald Trump’s administration was willing to continue negotiations.