Red flag for Washington: Asim Munir’s deep ties with IRGC ring alarm bells in US

Pakistan’s army chief General Asim Munir’s longstanding ties with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) are a “massive red flag” for the United States, a security analyst has said, according to a Fox News report.

US President Donald Trump continues to publicly praise Munir, who is playing a key role in mediating between Iran and America.  

Trump on Friday thanked what he called Pakistan’s “great prime minister and field marshal, two fantastic people!!!” in a Truth Social post, referring to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Munir.

The remarks come amid reports that Munir has emerged as a rare figure trusted both by Trump and Iran’s security establishment. He recently became the first foreign military leader to visit Iran since the latest escalation between Washington and Tehran, arriving in full military uniform and meeting senior officials, including Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

Retired Pakistani General Ahmed Saeed told Fox News Digital that Munir has for months acted as an informal backchannel between the US and Iran, as the Trump administration seeks to negotiate over the conflict, Iran’s nuclear programme and the naval blockade in the Persian Gulf.

Saeed said Munir’s links with Iran date back to his tenure as Pakistan’s director general of military intelligence in 2016 and 2017.

“He has been interacting with the leadership. He has been interacting with the intelligence community. He has been interacting with the IRGC,” Saeed said.

According to Saeed, Munir developed ties not only with the IRGC but also with Iran’s regular army and intelligence services. These included contacts with former Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, killed in a US strike in 2020, and IRGC commander Hossein Salami, killed in an Israeli strike in June 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.

The depth of those ties appears to explain Iran’s warm reception for Munir, even as he remains in direct contact with Trump and his team.

However, the relationship has drawn criticism in Washington. Bill Roggio of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies told Fox News Digital, “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.”

Munir’s relationship with Trump goes back to the India–Pakistan crisis of May 2025, when he reportedly helped de-escalate tensions. Pakistan later formally nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, a move analysts say was encouraged by Munir.

Since then, Trump has repeatedly praised him, calling Munir an “exceptional man,” a “great fighter” and “my favourite field marshal”.