Iranian president lands in Pakistan on two-day state visit

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in Pakistan on Saturday for a two-day official visit to strengthen bilateral ties and regional cooperation.

The Iranian president is accompanied by a high-level delegation, including Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi, senior ministers, and other high-ranking officials.

“During his stay, Pezeshkian will meet President Asif Ali Zardari, and hold delegation-level talks with PM Shehbaz Sharif,” the Foreign Office said in a statement.

This marks Pezeshkian’s first official visit to Pakistan as the President of Iran.

PM Shehbaz last visited Iran on May 26. The president’s visit is expected to further strengthen the brotherly relations between Pakistan and Iran.

According to the Political Adviser to the Iranian President, Mehdi Sanai, official meetings and discussions with “cultural and business elites” were planned during the president’s visit.

“The relations between the two countries encompass political, economic, religious, and cultural dimensions,” he had said in a X post on July 30.

The development of provincial and border cooperation, as well as increasing trade from the current $3 billion, are among the objectives of the visit, the adviser concluded.

Pezeshkian will be the second Iranian president to visit Pakistan within two years. The visit was originally scheduled for the final week of July.

In April 2024, Ebrahim Raisi paid a three-day official visit to Pakistan — just a month before his death in a helicopter crash.

Earlier in May, Prime Minister Shehbaz undertook a two-day bilateral visit to Iran as part of his regional tour to friendly countries aimed at expressing gratitude for their support during the conflict with India.

During the two-day visit, the premier met Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and the Iranian president.

The meetings focused on Pakistan-Iran relations, particularly the promotion of trade and regional connectivity, besides covering regional issues, with appreciation for Iran’s efforts to maintain peace in the region during the war imposed on Pakistan by India.

Both sides also discussed the strengthening of strategic ties between the two countries, as well as the immediate cessation of Zionist oppression in Gaza and achieving a sustainable and lasting ceasefire.

He had previously visited Iran in May 2024 to attend the memorial ceremony of former president Raisi.