Pakistan and Iran agree to boost cooperation in the fight against terrorism and border security

Pakistan and Iran on Wednesday agreed to enhance cooperation on combating terrorism and drugs, preventing illegal immigration and combating human trafficking, as Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi held talks with his Iranian counterpart Eskandar Momeni in Islamabad.

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 traded attacks, with Washington targeting locations in Iran and Tehran’s forces retaliating against US military assets in the region.

The United States and Iran signed a Pakistan-brokered memorandum of understanding last month to end their conflict and reach a lasting peace deal, but tensions escalated again.

Naqvi warmly received Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni upon his arrival at the airport, where an elegant contingent of the Federal Police presented him with a guard of honor.

According to the state Radio PakistanThe two sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in the fight against terrorism, the fight against drugs, the prevention of illegal immigration and human trafficking.

During the meeting, both ministers stressed the need to adopt a joint strategy to prevent terrorism and drug trafficking in the Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran region, with special emphasis on addressing threats emanating from the Afghan border.

Read: PM Shehbaz urges US, Iran to exercise restraint in meeting with Iranian minister

The two ministers also reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen bilateral relations, enhance mutual trade and enhance coordination mechanisms to expand cooperation between the two neighboring countries.

On the occasion, Naqvi said that Pakistan was ready to expand cooperation with Iran in all sectors.

He also appreciated the efforts of Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni, saying they had made “exceptional efforts for peace.” Naqvi expressed hope that “good news will emerge and peace will prevail.”

According to the Ministry of Interior, the Iranian delegation included the governor general of Sistan-Baluchistan, the deputy minister of the interior of Iran, the deputy minister of urban development and transportation, the head of the National Oil Company of Iran, the special representative of the minister of agriculture of Iran and other senior officials.

The meeting was also attended by Home Minister Talal Chaudhry, Federal Home Secretary, Chairman NADRA, Director General Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Director General Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF), Inspector General Federal Police, Director General National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), Director General Immigration and Passports, Chairman Capital Development Authority (CDA), Inspector General Police of Islamabad and other secretaries of the Ministry of Interior.

According anadoluciting Iran’s state broadcaster. IRIBMomeni is visiting Pakistan at the invitation of Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to promote bilateral cooperation between Tehran and Islamabad. The Iranian government, in a post on X, stated that the visit was aimed at boosting border security and bilateral cooperation in transit and agriculture and was aligned with the goal of increasing trade from $3 billion to $10 billion.

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

The conflict intensifies

US forces attacked Iran for the ninth straight day on Monday as concerns grew about shipping through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran said two oil tankers had exploded and been grounded.

In a statement, US Central Command said it had begun “a new wave of attacks” aimed at “degrading” Iran’s ability to attack commercial vessels in the vital strait shipping lanes. He did not give more details.

The attacks are part of an escalating cycle of attacks between the United States and Iran after a provisional ceasefire deal signed a month ago collapsed, deepening a fight for control over the Strait of Hormuz that has disrupted energy supplies and stoked fears of global inflation.

A joint Pakistan-Qatar detente proposal had urged the United States and Iran to return to their pre-July 9 positions “as a first step” toward resuming stalled talks to permanently end their months-long war, Pakistani government sources said. anadolu.