ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan landed in Iran on Sunday for a day-long official visit to promote peace and security in the region, in addition to holding talks on matters of mutual interest and regional developments, the Foreign Office said in a statement.

He is scheduled to meet with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani during the trip.

The prime minister’s visit is “part of his initiative to promote peace and security in the region,” the Foreign Office said.

“Besides issues relating to peace and security in the Gulf, bilateral matters and important regional developments will be discussed [during the visit],” the statement added.

This will be the premier’s second visit to Iran this year. He also held bilateral meeting with the Iranian president on the sidelines of the 74th UNGA session in New York last month.

Iran has been under intense pressure and scrutiny from the world powers including the United States over its highly controversial nuclear program. President Donald Trump last month slapped a wide-range of sanctions on Iran as part of its campaign to increase economic pressure on the country over its nuclear program and regional ambitions.

The United States also blamed Iran for an attack last month on the world’s biggest crude oil processing facility in Saudi Arabia which had threatened the world’s energy security. “Amid all the calls for de-escalation, Iran has now launched an unprecedented attack on the world’s energy supply,” the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said.

Against this backdrop, analysts and experts are considering Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit to Iran important because Islamabad being neighboring country would get a direct hit in case of any further escalation in the region.

Javed Hafeez, former ambassador and expert on foreign affairs, said that it was long-awaited visit of the prime minister to Tehran to discuss the security situation recently arising in the Arabian Gulf as this was threatening global economy along with Pakistan’s security and regional interests.

“A large quantity of the world’s oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz and this is not very far from Pakistan, and any tensions in the Gulf are harmful for the world economy and our interests in the region,” he told Arab News.

Hafeez said that it was in Pakistan’s own interest to ensure that the “region returns to peace and harmony” by discussing the issues with Iranian leadership. “It is high-time for Pakistan to secure its borders from any external threat,” he added.