In a calculated reset of regional ties, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian chose Pakistan as the destination for his first international visit post the Iran-Israel 12-day war. Pezeshkian began the official, two day visit by arriving in Lahore on Saturday, August 02. During the visit, the Iranian leader also travelled to Islamabad and held high level meetings with key Pakistani personalities across the military, political and religious spheres. The two sides made ambitious commitments on trade, regional cooperation and security, signing a dozen bilateral agreements and pledging to triple their bilateral trade from $3 billion to $10 billion. Pezeshkian concluded the trip on Sunday, August 03, departing from Nur Jahan Air Base, dubbing his recent visit to the regional neighbour as the dawn of “a new chapter” in their bilateral relations. Notably, the visit occurred just days after Pakistan finalised a trade deal with the U.S.
High-Level Engagements
President Pezeshkian began the visit in Lahore where he met former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Sharif currently leads Pakistan’s Muslim League party, discussing solidarity in the Islamic world. Pezeshkian urged Muslim-majority countries to pool their “scientific, industrial, and agricultural capabilities” and form a united bloc to uplift the Islamic community. Fada Hossein Maleki, head of the Iran-Pakistan Parliamentary Friendship Group, also revealed subsequently that a proposal was discussed during the visit to form a coalition of leading Muslim countries, including Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and others, as a united front against any future Israeli or American aggression.
Pezeshkian then arrived in Islamabad on August 02 after visiting Lahore. During his visit to the capital, he met Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Sharif, Senate Chairman Yusuf Raza Gilani and National Assembly Speaker Sardar Sadiq. He also engaged with prominent Sunni and Shia scholars in Pakistan. These meetings appeared to set the tone for a coordinated push to elevate bilateral ties across economic, political, and security dimensions.
In a joint press conference, Sharif condemned the Israel’s “aggression” on Iran and praised Iran’s courage, commit in defending its sovereignty. He even expressed support for Iran’s nuclear program stating that “Pakistan stands with Iran for the acquisition of peaceful nuclear power.”
Pezeshkian thanked Pakistan for its solidarity during what he described as “terrorist aggression by the Zionist regime and the United States.”
Thanking Pakistan for its support during the recent war, the official statement said that Pezeshkian said that Iran regards Pakistan not only as a neighbour but as an “unwavering ally” in difficult times. The Iranian leader even quoted Allama Iqbal to underscore the necessity of Muslim solidarity, stating that neighbourhood policy remains a top foreign policy. Upon arriving in Lahore, Pezeshkian visited the tomb of Allama Iqbal, a noted Pakistani poet and politician, to pay his respects.
He also engaged with Sunni and Shia clerics, before whom he denounced Israel’s ongoing atrocities in Gaza. “Our responsibility in the face of these tragedies goes beyond condemnation,” Pezeshkian said. “Remaining silent in the face of the Zionist regime’s oppression is a form of complicity.”
Economic Initiatives
Trade and investment dominated the agenda. Both sides appeared keen to unlock their “economic potential” and revive their ties in this regard. Over the two day visit, Iran and Pakistan signed 12 agreements spanning trade, science and technology, agriculture, transportation, climate change, judicial cooperation, and cultural exchanges and announced an ambitious plan to elevate bilateral trade from $3 billion to $10 billion.
Of the 12 cooperation documents signed were MoUs on plant protection and quarantine, joint use of the Mirjaveh-Taftan border gate, rail and road connectivity, cooperation in information technology, media, climate change, and a mutual commitment to finalise the FTA text in the near future. Officials said the pacts provide a framework to facilitate knowledge exchange, boost trade, and strengthen people-to-people ties between the two neighbours.
At a high-profile Iran-Pakistan Business Forum in Islamabad on August 03, Sharif and Pezeshkian together announced their goal of $10 billion and expressed hope to “achieve it as soon as possible.”
To lay the groundwork, the two countries are also reportedly moving towards a Free Trade Agreement (FTA). Pakistan’s Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan, speaking at the business forum, welcomed the finalisation of a draft FTA and said both sides are committed to resolving tariff barriers and improving border infrastructure to facilitate commerce.
To finalise plans to ramp up trade, Khan said the 22nd Iran-Pakistan Joint Economic Commission will convene in Tehran next month. The last time the commission formally met was in 2022. Khan highlighted the recent reactivation of the Mand-Pishin cross-border market on July 30 as a joint step to boost local trade, and revealed plans to open a new border crossing at Chadgi-Kouhak to further connectivity.
Iran’s Industry and Trade Minister Mohammad Atabak said that bilateral trade had picked up over the past year, but stressed the need to diversify land transport links to unlock higher volumes.
Officials also discussed linking Pakistan’s China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) infrastructure with Iran to extend trade routes into Central Asia, Turkey and beyond. They also proposed measures like multi-entry business visas and joint industrial projects to deepen integration.
Additionally, Iranian local media reported that the Pakistani foreign minister also endorsed the idea of strengthening trilateral cooperation between Iran, Pakistan and Turkey, as proposed by Pezeshkian saying that the agreement has never been fully implemented despite their strategic importance. The Iranian leader reportedly proposed a new strategic approach to restore the pacts and deepen economic and cultural cooperation among Islamic countries.
On the sidelines of the visit, Tehran and Islamabad also reached a preliminary agreement to establish a joint free trade zone at the Rimdan-Ghabd border, following talks between Reza Masrour, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme Council of Free and Special Economic Zones, and Pakistan’s Ms. Iqbal, Secretary of the Special Economic Zones Approval Board and the Pakistan Investment Board. The proposed free zone aims to boost cross-border trade, attract investment, and enhance infrastructure. Located near Iran’s Chabahar port and Pakistan’s Gwadar port, the zone is likely to connect key economic corridors on both sides. A Pakistani delegation is expected to visit the site in the coming weeks to assess its scope and feasibility. Both sides discussed tax exemptions, infrastructure needs, and investor frameworks
Security and Border Cooperation
Alongside economics, terrorism was a prominent theme during the visit. Iran and Pakistan share a 900-km border and have been impacted by what they call insurgent groups of Balochistan. Both sides agreed on the need for “robust” joint measures to secure the frontier and combat terrorism. “We have to protect our borders and take strict steps against terrorism to open the roads to peace and development in the region,” Sharif said. He said that Islamabad and Tehran have a “common stand” against violent extremism, vowing that “no such activity would be allowed in Pakistan or Iran” that could threaten the other side.
Pezeshkian also called for better border management and intelligence-sharing to prevent cross-border attacks. The two sides acknowledged past tensions, including the 2024 cross-border hostilities, but stressed that they have kept diplomatic channels open.
Iran’s visiting military delegation led by Defence Minister Brigadier General Azis Nasirzadeh met with Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif in Islamabad. The two defence chiefs reaffirmed plans to strengthen military-to-military ties and cooperation on counterterrorism. “Iran-Pakistan relations are very stable, and we aim for a lasting partnership with the Islamic Republic to stabilise peace in the region,” Asif said. He characterised Iran and Pakistan as “two countries that will remain brothers forever,” noting that their close coordination has reached “a new and higher level.”
Pakistani officials also discussed acting as an intermediary between Washington and Tehran to help ease broader regional frictions.
In conclusion, the visit needs to be viewed in the broader context Iran-Pakistan ties, which continue to be impacted by tensions over terrorism. As recently as two weeks ago, Iran suffered a deadly attack by Jaish Al-Adl, a Sunni militant group, that killed nine in the southeastern Sistan-Balochistan. The group has been a cause of concern between the two countries, with Iran accusing Pakistan of supporting the group. Thus, not only are the cooperation goals are ambitious, they also rely on the stability of this relationship, which can be described as fragile at best.
