Iran’s Interior Minister Iskandar Momeni arrives in Islamabad

Iran’s Interior Minister Iskandar Momeni arrived in Islamabad on Monday along with a high-level delegation amid fresh tensions in the Middle East.

The visit came amid heightened regional tensions after the United States and Iran exchanged strikes, with Washington targeting locations in Iran and Tehran’s forces responding against US military assets in the region. The US and Iran signed a Pakistani-mediated memorandum of understanding last month to end their conflict and reach a lasting peace agreement, but tensions escalated again.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi welcomed his Iranian counterpart at the airport, while State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry presented Momeni with a bouquet. Iranian Ambassador to Pakistan Reza Amiri Moghadam was also present on the occasion.

Naqvi welcomed Momeni and expressed hope that his visit would bring positive developments and help further strengthen bilateral relations.

“Your visit to Pakistan will promote bilateral relations. Progress on the regional situation is also expected,” Naqvi said.

Momeni said he was pleased to meet Naqvi again and described relations between the two countries as strong.

“Pakistan and Iran’s relations are unparalleled,” Momeni said.

The Iranian minister said he had always appreciated the hospitality extended by the Pakistani government and people.

During his visit, Momeni is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir.

The Iranian delegation includes the governor general of Sistan-Baluchistan, Iran’s deputy interior minister, deputy minister for urban development and transport, head of the National Iranian Oil Company, a special representative of the agriculture minister and other senior officials.

According to Anadolu, citing Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB, Momeni is visiting Pakistan at the invitation of Naqvi to advance bilateral cooperation between Tehran and Islamabad.The

Iranian government, in a post on X, stated that the visit aimed to boost border security and bilateral cooperation in transit and agriculture and aligned with the goal to increase trade from $3b to $10b.

“Following his Pakistan visit, Momeni will travel to New Delhi, India, at the invitation of his Indian counterpart to attend the BRICS Meeting of Ministers for Disaster Management, focusing on disaster risk reduction,” it stated.

US forces hit Iran for a ninth consecutive day on Monday as concerns grew over shipping through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran said two oil tankers had exploded and been immobilised.

In a statement, US Central Command said it had begun “a new wave of strikes” aimed at “degrading” Iran’s ability to attack commercial vessels in the strait’s vital shipping lanes. It gave no further details.

The strikes are part of an escalating cycle of attacks between the US and Iran after an interim ceasefire agreement signed a month ago unravelled, deepening a struggle for control over the Strait of Hormuz that has disrupted energy supplies and stoked fears of global inflation.

A joint de-escalation proposal by Pakistan and Qatar had urged the United States and Iran to return to their pre-July 9 positions “as a first step” to resume stalled talks to permanently end their months-long war, Pakistani government sources told Anadolu.

Read More: Return to pre-July 9 position to resume talks

The proposal, jointly drafted by Islamabad and Doha after “consulting regional partners”, called on both sides to return to the positions they held before the beginning of the fresh hostilities, the sources added.

“Returning to the pre-July 9 position will be the first step to halt the raging hostilities and pave the way for the resumption of talks either in Islamabad or Doha,” a Pakistani source close to the ongoing mediation efforts said.

According to the proposal, the sources added, Iran will “immediately” reopen the Strait of Hormuz, whereas the US will end the blockade of Iranian ports and lift sanctions on the sale of Iranian oil.