US Pressure Is Drawing Muslim States Closer, Pezeshkian Tells Naqvi as Pakistan-Iran Ties Deepen
By Uzair Saleem | SCN NEWS
TEHRAN — Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Monday that U.S. pressure and military actions in the region were driving Muslim countries toward closer cooperation, as Tehran and Islamabad pledged to expand ties across trade, energy, investment and other sectors amid continuing efforts to revive Iran-U.S. diplomacy.
Pezeshkian made the remarks during talks with Naqvi in Tehran, where the Pakistani minister also met Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni. The discussions covered bilateral relations and the regional situation at a time when Pakistan has been involved in efforts to reduce tensions between Iran and the United States.
The Iranian president pointed to the increasing frequency of contacts between Pakistan and Iran as evidence of what he described as greater convergence among Muslim countries under external pressure. He said Tehran and Islamabad possessed significant human, economic and regional resources that could be used together to reduce dependence on outside powers.
Pezeshkian called for deeper cooperation in trade, energy, tourism, investment and cultural and scientific exchanges, arguing that the two neighbours could meet more of their needs through domestic and regional capabilities. He also called for joint investment and stronger links between economic sectors in both countries.
Naqvi, according to accounts of the meeting, told Pezeshkian that Pakistan-Iran relations had “never been at such a high level” and said Islamabad was determined to broaden cooperation in trade, the economy, tourism, politics, culture and science.
The language from both sides suggests that the latest engagement is moving beyond the immediate security relationship traditionally associated with the neighbours' long and sometimes difficult border. Tehran and Islamabad are increasingly presenting economic integration and regional self-reliance as another pillar of the relationship.
Naqvi's meeting with Pezeshkian followed talks earlier Monday with Momeni at Iran's Interior Ministry. The two interior ministers reviewed existing agreements and cooperation between their ministries while discussing the latest regional developments.
Momeni also publicly thanked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir for Pakistan's efforts toward regional peace and stability, saying Tehran appreciated Islamabad's continuing diplomatic role.
The meetings carry additional significance because they come amid continuing attempts to restart negotiations between Tehran and Washington following months of conflict and confrontation.
Pakistan has positioned itself as a mediator in that process. Islamabad previously helped facilitate the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding between Iran and the United States, and Pakistani officials have continued to call for dialogue and implementation of the agreement as the route toward de-escalation. Pakistan's Foreign Ministry has described its Iran-U.S. peace effort as a collective national initiative involving the country's senior civilian and military leadership.
That diplomatic track remains uncertain. Qatar is also trying to facilitate an agreement between Washington and Tehran, potentially beginning with a limited arrangement capable of reopening negotiations, while neither side has publicly indicated that a comprehensive settlement is imminent.
Pakistan's engagement with Iran is therefore unfolding on two tracks: strengthening its own bilateral relationship with Tehran while simultaneously attempting to preserve channels capable of reducing Iran-U.S. tensions.
That distinction is important because Pezeshkian's criticism of U.S. pressure represents the Iranian president's position rather than a joint Pakistani-Iranian statement. Naqvi's publicly reported remarks focused instead on bilateral cooperation and Pakistan's intention to deepen ties with its neighbour.
The timing also places the talks against the backdrop of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York. Pezeshkian is preparing to attend the gathering, where the Middle East conflict, regional security and prospects for renewed diplomacy with Washington are expected to feature prominently.
The latest meeting could consequently feed into a broader diplomatic sequence extending from Tehran to New York, particularly if Pakistan's mediation efforts produce fresh proposals or contacts during UNGA81.
For Islamabad, closer relations with Iran also have practical dimensions extending beyond high-level diplomacy. The neighbours have repeatedly discussed trade, border security, energy and connectivity, while officials on both sides have argued that significant potential for bilateral commerce remains unrealised.
Pezeshkian's emphasis Monday on combining regional capabilities appears designed to push that relationship further toward economic cooperation, while Naqvi's assertion that ties are at an unprecedented level signals Islamabad's willingness to sustain the recent diplomatic momentum.
Whether those declarations translate into new trade, energy or investment agreements remains to be seen. But Monday's meetings demonstrate that Pakistan's Iran policy is increasingly combining bilateral expansion with a wider diplomatic role in efforts to prevent another escalation between Tehran and Washington.