ISLAMABAD: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Sunday praised Pakistan’s efforts to promote regional peace and stability during a meeting with Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Iranian state-media reported, amid Islamabad’s diplomatic efforts to ease prevailing tensions between the United States (US) and Iran.
Naqvi arrived in the Iranian capital on Saturday for a two-day visit as Pakistan aims to facilitate dialogue and promote regional peace, amid a ceasefire that has largely halted US-Iran fighting but tensions persist between both sides in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran has maintained a stranglehold on the strait, a critical global energy corridor through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas supplies pass, since their war began on Feb. 28. The US last month imposed a counter-blockade of the Iranian ports, with sporadic clashes reported between both sides.
The disruptions in cargo and energy supplies have sent the global oil and gas prices skyrocketing and threatened economies around the world, with Pakistan leading a diplomatic push to end the conflict that has also seen Tehran attack Israel, US and other infrastructure in the Gulf.
“The President also expressed his appreciation for the role and follow-up of the Pakistani government, especially Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Asim Munir, for mediating a ceasefire in the US-Israeli-imposed war,” the state-run IRNA news agency reported, following Naqvi’s meeting with Pezeshkian.
“He expressed hope that diplomatic and political efforts like Pakistan’s would lead to the consolidation of peace, stability, and lasting security in the West Asia region.”
Pezeshkian praised Pakistan’s measures in the field of border trade and economic cooperation and said the recent developments have brought Iran and Pakistan even closer to expanding bilateral relations, according to the report.
Late Last month, Islamabad cleared the way for Iran to import goods from third countries through Pakistani territory by opening new transit routes, the Pakistani commerce ministry said. The development followed an announcement by Pakistan’s Directorate General of Transit Trade (DGTT) that it had operationalized a new transit corridor via Iran by dispatching its first export shipment to Uzbekistan.
“Stressing the depth of historical, cultural, and people-to-people relations between the two countries, Naqvi stated that Iran and Pakistan can further develop bilateral relations and cooperation,” IRNA reported.
Naqvi earlier met Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf and Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni as the two sides discussed reviving stalled peace talks between the United States and Tehran, according to the Pakistani embassy in Tehran and Iranian state media.
“Iran has always been a supporter of peace and we deeply appreciate Pakistan’s efforts in this regard,” Momeni was quoted as saying by the embassy. “We view Pakistan’s initiatives with great respect and admiration.”
While the fragile ceasefire announced on Apr. 8 remains in place, negotiations between Washington and Tehran have largely stalled following their first round of direct talks in Islamabad on April 11-12, with disputes over Iran’s uranium enrichment program and regional security continuing to hamper progress.
Pakistan, which has been accepted as the chief mediator by both Iran and the US, hopes to broker a peace agreement between the two sides as it attempts to mitigate the economic fallout of the ongoing conflict.
Also on Sunday, Pakistan PM Sharif discussed the regional with his Qatari counterpart over the phone.
“We exchanged views on the evolving regional and international situation and reaffirmed our shared commitment to peace, dialogue and regional stability,” Sharif said on X.
Separately, Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held a telephonic conversation with Egypt’s Badr Abdelatty.
“FM Abdelatty appreciated Pakistan’s sincere efforts for promoting regional peace and stability,” the Pakistani foreign ministry said.
“They also discussed matters related to the regional consultative forum of the Foreign Ministers of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, and Egypt. The discussion also covered ongoing engagements pertaining to the UN Security Council and broader multilateral diplomatic developments.”
