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TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) \u2014 U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday<\/a><\/span> that \u201cslight progress\u201d was made during talks with Iran as Pakistan\u2019s army chief traveled to Tehran in a renewed effort to mediate a peace deal and uncertainty loomed over whether the war would resume<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n Rubio spoke days after U.S. President Donald Trump said he was holding off<\/a><\/span> on a military strike against the Islamic Republic because \u201cserious negotiations\u201d were underway. Trump has been threatening for weeks that the ceasefire reached in mid-April could end<\/a><\/span> if Iran does not make a deal, with shifting parameters for striking such an agreement.<\/p>\n America\u2019s top diplomat made the comment ahead of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers<\/a><\/span> in Helsingborg, Sweden, where the military alliance discussed what role it could play in helping police the Strait of Hormuz<\/a><\/span> once the war is over.<\/p>\n Rubio said he did not want to exaggerate the progress, saying there had been \u201ca little bit of movement and that\u2019s good.\u201d In recent weeks, repeated claims of progress have emerged, but a deal has stayed out of reach.<\/p>\n Trump has repeatedly set deadlines<\/a><\/span> for Tehran and then backed off. But he\u2019s also previously indicated he would hold off on military action to allow talks to play out, only to turn around and launch strikes. That happened at the war\u2019s outset<\/a><\/span>, when he ordered strikes in late February shortly after indicating he would let talks play out.<\/p>\n The president said he called off attacks on Iran this week at the request of allies in the Middle East.<\/p>\n In a renewed push for a peace agreement, Pakistan\u2019s top army officer arrived Friday in Tehran for talks with Iranian leaders, Pakistani officials and the military confirmed. It\u2019s the third round of meetings between Pakistani and Iranian officials in recent days.<\/p>\n Field Marshal Asim Munir will be joined by Pakistan\u2019s interior minister, who has already met with Iranian leaders in Tehran twice this week. Pakistan has sought a deal between Iran and the U.S. since Munir facilitated face-to-face talks between the two countries in Islamabad last month.<\/p>\n Qatar also sent a delegation to Tehran, according to a regional official who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the talks. The delegation is working in coordination with other countries, including Egypt, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, the official said.<\/p>\n Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for the shipment of oil, gas, fertilizer and other petroleum products. The U.S. is blockading Iranian ports<\/a><\/span> and has redirected 94 commercial vessels and disabled four others since mid-April, U.S. Central Command said.<\/p>\nPakistan\u2019s army chief arrives in Iran for third round of talks<\/h2>\n