Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in Islamabad on Tuesday for a state visit, his first overseas trip after US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28.
He was received by Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar at a military base. Pezeshkian is accompanied by a high-level delegation including ministers and senior officials. He will hold talks with PM Sharif and is expected to meet President Zardari. The visit is scheduled to last one day.
Bilateral Talks
The two sides will review the full spectrum of bilateral relations and explore cooperation in trade, energy, border security, people-to-people exchanges, and regional connectivity, according to Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Delegation-level meetings are planned.
The visit is seen as an expression of gratitude for Pakistan's role in brokering the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, signed on June 18 by US President Donald Trump and President Pezeshkian, with PM Sharif as mediator.
Background
Pezeshkian's visit follows the first round of US-Iran talks mediated by Pakistan and Qatar in Bürgenstock, Switzerland, aimed at ending the war on Iran. As part of an agreement, the US will release $12 billion in frozen Iranian funds and temporarily ease sanctions on Iranian oil and petrochemical sales until August 21. The talks produced a 60-day roadmap to a final deal.
This is Pezeshkian's second visit to Pakistan as president; his first was in August 2025 after the Iran-Israel war.
Other Meetings
Senate Chairman Yousaf Raza Gilani, National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, and Deputy PM Ishaq Dar are also scheduled to meet the Iranian leader.