Pezeshkian says US pressure strengthened ties among Muslim nations

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Monday that US pressure had inadvertently encouraged greater interaction among Muslim countries, with the expanding diplomatic engagement between Iran and Pakistan serving as an illustration of the trend.

The Iranian president made these remarks in a meeting with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who also met Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni to discuss bilateral relations and the latest regional situation, Iranian media reported.

Expressing satisfaction with the growing trajectory of Tehran-Islamabad relations, President Pezeshkian emphasised the need to strengthen and expand bilateral cooperation across trade, energy, tourism, investment, cultural and scientific fields.

“We are pleased that you are continuously following up on the process of bilateral cooperation, and we hope that these interactions will continue with greater seriousness in all fields,” he said.

Highlighting the potential of the two countries working together, Pezeshkian said Iran and Pakistan were powerful regional nations with enormous human capacities and rich resources.

“If we put these capacities together and join hands, we can meet many of our needs by relying on domestic and regional capabilities,” he said, stressing the need for joint investments and greater communication between different sectors of both countries.

Naqvi, for his part, expressed pleasure at meeting the Iranian president and said relations between Iran and Pakistan had never been at such a high level as they were today.

“We are determined to further develop and enhance relations and cooperation between the two countries in all fields, including trade, economy, tourism, politics, culture and science,” he said, also briefing the president on the latest status of bilateral cooperation across various sectors.

Earlier in the day, Naqvi met Iranian Interior Minister Momeni, with the two sides reviewing progress on ongoing cooperation between their interior ministries across various sectors, according to a post on X by Pakistan’s interior ministry.

Momeni thanked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir for their efforts towards regional peace and stability.

“We are grateful for Pakistan’s continuous efforts to establish peace in the region and the recent visit was very beneficial,” the Iranian minister said.

Naqvi said bilateral relations would grow even stronger in the coming period.

The meetings took place amid stalled talks between the United States and Iran to end the war that began in February, with Pakistan continuing to play a key mediating role in reducing tensions and promoting regional peace since the conflict began.