Iran is shoring up ties with its neighbors as it continues talks with the US over its nuclear program. This is important for the Islamic Republic because, if there are any rising tensions, it will want the support of countries such as Turkey, Iraq, and Pakistan.
It is these countries that Iran has been doing outreach to in recent days.
Iran’s Ambassador to Turkey, Mohammad-Hassan Habibzadeh, discussed cooperation between the countries aimed at “peace and stability.”
Iranian state media IRNA noted that “Iran’s Ambassador to Turkey Mohammad-Hassan Habibzadeh says Tehran supports any process that would eradicate terrorism in the region and strengthen security among neighboring countries.”
The Iranian diplomat met with the secretary-general of Turkey’s National Security Council, Okay Memis, in Ankara on Saturday.
Tehran discussed developments in Syria with Turkey, as well as the talks with the United States about the Iranian nuclear program.
Iran also said it has “welcomed an announcement by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to disband and halt its armed struggle against Turkey.”
Meanwhile, an Iranian lawmaker said that Iran and Pakistan should boost efforts regarding security and other issues.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian met Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the sidelines of the 11th summit of the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation in Egypt on December 19, 2024.
Now, it is believed that Pakistan’s prime minister will visit Iran and other countries in the upcoming days. This comes after a clash between Pakistan and India.
The IRNA reported that the “head of the Iran-Pakistan Parliamentary Friendship Group, Fada Hossein Maleki, says the two countries have made consistent efforts to promote peace and stability in the region over the past years.”
Maleki spoke to IRNA about Pakistan. “The interview was conducted ahead of... Sharif’s visit to Tehran in the coming days.”
Maleki represents the city of Zahedan in the Iranian Parliament. His city is on the border with Pakistan. This is a restive region where Baloch rebels on both sides of the border object to the Pakistani and Iranian regimes.
“The lawmaker said that Iranian and Pakistani officials had agreed during previous talks that commercial and industrial towns would be established at the border areas to boost security and promote economic exchanges,” the IRNA noted.
Per this news source, “During Sharif’s visit to Iran, talks will cover a host of issues, including the Pakistan-India conflict, Iran-US negotiations, Pakistan’s relations with Saudi Arabia, and trilateral cooperation between Iran, Pakistan, and China, the Iranian lawmaker said.”
“According to Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry, Sharif will pay an official visit to Turkey, Iran, the Republic of Azerbaijan, and Tajikistan from May 25 to 30,” it added.
In another important meeting, Iranian Roads and Urban Development Minister Farzaneh Sadeq met with Iraq’s Deputy Transport Minister Hazem Razi Al-Hafazi in Baghdad on May 24.
Sadeq arrived in Baghdad on Saturday night to discuss Tehran-Baghdad relations, and was also in Iraq to discuss Shi’ite pilgrimages to Iraq from Iran.
“Sadeq arrived in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, on Saturday night, where she was welcomed by Hafazi... as well as Iran’s Ambassador to Baghdad Kazem Al-e-Sadeq,” the IRNA noted.
Sadeq commemorates late IRGC leader Qasem Soleimani
Sadeq also commemorated the late Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force leader Qasem Soleimani, who was killed in a US drone strike in Iraq in 2020.
“Transport ties, the Shalamcheh-Basra railway line, and providing maximum facilities for Arbaeen [holiday] pilgrims are top issues that will be discussed,” the IRNA said.
“Back in September 2024, Farzaneh Sadeq accompanied... Pezeshkian, during his trip to Iraq, where talks were held to finalize the strategic project for the construction of a railway between Iran’s city of Shalamcheh and the Iraqi city of Basra,” it reported.