Tehran will need the help of countries like Pakistan if it wants to keep its nuclear program.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi traveled to Pakistan on Monday for a meeting with his Pakistani counterpart, Muhammad Ishaq Dar. This significant meeting comes as Araghchi is angry about the progress of Iranian nuclear talks with the US and takes place in the wake of a terrorist attack that killed 26 in Pahalgam in India’s Kashmir region, which New Delhi blames on Pakistan.
Tehran is not openly siding with Islamabad, and it has amicable relations with both Pakistan and India.
Iranian state media IRNA noted, “Araghchi, who departed for Pakistan on Sunday leading a political delegation, told IRNA that his visit aimed to assess the latest developments in the region, particularly the ongoing situation between India and Pakistan.”
Pakistan’s foreign minister has expressed “hope for the success” of Iran’s talks with the US. An additional element here is that Pakistan and India have nuclear weapons. As such, Tehran is likely looking to Pakistan as a model for how a Muslim country can acquire nuclear weapons.
Iran has an extensive nuclear program, which it claims is for peaceful purposes. However, the Islamic Republic has an uphill challenge in that, unlike Pakistan, it is not a friend of the US. Washington opposed India and Pakistan acquiring nuclear weapons, but it wasn’t willing to act against their decisions in the 1990s. Iran likely hopes to go down the same road; it wants to see how this is possible.
A close Iran-Pakistan relationship exists
Dar said Tehran and Islamabad “have always stood in solidarity and wished success for the indirect negotiations between Iran and the United States,” according to the IRNA report. “Referring to the three rounds of indirect talks between Iran and the US, he said Pakistan is fully aware of your intensive agenda during these talks and is closely monitoring this important process,” it added.
Iran discussed bilateral ties with Pakistan during this trip.
“Speaking to reporters upon his arrival at Islamabad International Airport on the goals of his official visit to Pakistan, Araghchi said that the relations between the two countries are of great importance, just as Iran’s relations with other countries in the region, including India, are also important,” the report said.
Araghchi will meet separately with other Pakistani officials, including the president and prime minister. He also met with the deputy prime minister of Pakistan and the Pakistan army commander.
IRNA noted that “Araghchi said that his visit to Islamabad served as an opportunity to review Iran-Pakistan bilateral relations, especially in political, economic, and cultural areas. The Iranian top diplomat highlighted Iran’s friendly ties with both countries and underscored Pakistan’s special status as a neighboring and brotherly country.”
Pakistan and India both have decent ties with the US. Islamabad is also close to Beijing, and New Delhi has amicable ties with Moscow. As such, the Iranian visit is also intended to showcase Tehran’s move toward the East and its interest in ties with South Asian countries. Iran has been building more diplomatic ties with Central Asian states as well in recent years.
The big story, though, is that Iran is likely looking at Pakistan and India as models of countries that acquired nuclear weapons. It is wondering how it can get a deal with the US and keep its nuclear program.
Recent comments by US President Donald Trump suggest that Iran would need to dismantle the program, something the Islamic Republic is not likely to accept. Therefore, the Iran-US talks could be in jeopardy.
Iran will then need the support of Pakistan, India, China, Russia, and other countries as part of the emerging new world order, where the US is no longer a global hegemon. This is the real story behind the Iranian visit.