ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday urged the United States and Iran to exercise restraint and avoid actions that could further destabilise the region during a meeting with Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni.
Momeni, who is on an official visit to Pakistan, called on PM Shehbaz Sharif at the Prime Minister House in Islamabad earlier on Tuesday.
According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), “The prime minister shared his deep concern over the recent escalation in the Gulf region and urged all sides to exercise restraint and refrain from actions that could further destabilise the region.”
“While emphasising that Pakistan would continue to play its role as an honest and sincere mediator and facilitator, the prime minister reiterated Pakistan’s strong commitment to regional peace and stability,” the statement added.
The PMO said the prime minister welcomed the Iranian interior minister and his delegation to Pakistan.
“The prime minister conveyed his respectful regards and good wishes for Supreme Leader Sayyid Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian,” it said.
According to the statement, Momeni thanked PM Shehbaz for the warm welcome extended to him and his delegation in Islamabad.
“He conveyed the greetings and best wishes of the Iranian leadership and stated that he was leading a delegation of senior government officials to enhance bilateral ties,” the PMO said.
The Iranian minister expressed appreciation for the efforts of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, and Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir for their mediation efforts that led to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding.
“He also expressed gratitude for the prime minister’s visit to Tehran to attend the funeral ceremony of late supreme leader Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei,” the statement read.
DPM Dar, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Adviser to the Prime Minister Dr Syed Tauqir Shah, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry and other senior officials were also present.
Earlier, Momeni attended a ceremonial parade at Islamabad Police Lines during his visit to Pakistan, where he praised the force’s professionalism and presented awards to officers for outstanding performance, according to updates shared by the Ministry of Interior on X.
Momeni, accompanied by Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry, received a warm welcome on arrival at the parade ground. The ministry said the Iranian minister commended the professional capabilities of Islamabad Police personnel and distributed awards to officers in recognition of their performance.
Islamabad Inspector General of Police Ali Nasir Rizvi and other senior police officials were also present.
He also visited the Pakistan Monument in Islamabad alongside Chaudhry.
According to the ministry, a contingent of the Federal Constabulary presented the Iranian minister with a guard of honour. He was also briefed on the Pakistan Monument, after which he praised the historical significance of both the monument and the National Martyrs’ Memorial.
During the visit, Momeni viewed Islamabad and the Margalla Hills from Shakarparian. Federal Constabulary Inspector General Riaz Nazir Gara, Islamabad Deputy Inspector General of Police Muhammad Jawad Tariq, and other officials also accompanied him.
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.
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 Interior Minister Mohsin 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.
Conflict escalates
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.