Pakistan announces full restoration of relations with Iran after tensions

Pakistan has announced a complete restoration of diplomatic relations with Iran following an unprecedented escalation of cross-border tensions over counterterrorism operations.

The announcement was made on Friday after caretaker Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar of Pakistan held an emergency security meeting with the military and intelligence chiefs to discuss the recent turbulences.

Pakistan’s media reports said Islamabad agreed to resume its full level of diplomatic relations with Iran and that the ambassadors of Iran and Pakistan will soon be sent to their missions.

Kakar on Friday said that it was in the interest of both Iran and Pakistan to take steps to restore their relationship to the levels before the recent tensions.

The prime minister said that it was “in the interest of both countries to take steps to restore the relationship to what it was prior to Jan. 16.”

Kakar added that Pakistan would “welcome and reciprocate all positive measures from the Iranian side” in the above regard.

He said Pakistan and Iran were “two brotherly countries that have historically enjoyed fraternal and cooperative relations marked by respect and affection.”

Kakar added that Pakistan was a “law-abiding and peace-loving country” that sought friendly and cooperative relations with all countries, particularly its neighbors.

Earlier in the day, Pakistani Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian held a phone conversation, calling for closer cooperation in various fields, including fighting terrorism and boosting border security.

“Jilani expressed Pakistan's readiness to work with Iran on all issues based on [a] spirit of mutual trust and cooperation,” said a statement by Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry. “He underscored the need for closer cooperation on security issues.”

The Iranian foreign minister also said in a statement that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Pakistan is of “great concern to us and it is imperative that the two countries work together to neutralize and destroy terrorist camps in Pakistan.”

Pointing to the recent Iranian operation against the Jaish ul-Adl terrorist group in Pakistan, Amir-Abdollahian said the operation was carried out to neutralize an imminent terrorist threat.

Iran FM calls for joint anti-terror efforts with Pakistan

Iran

On January 16, the Islamic Republic launched simultaneous drone and missile attacks on two bases of Jaish ul-Adl, a terror outfit that was formed in 2012 and has conducted several attacks on Iranian soil in recent years.

The group claimed responsibility for an attack in December 2023 on a police station in the southeastern city of Rask that killed at least 11 Iranian police officers. On January 10, another attack by the group on a police station in the city killed one officer.

Pakistan carried out strikes on Thursday against what it called bases of the separatist Baloch Liberation Front and Baloch Liberation Army in regions close to Iran’s border, with Tehran condemning the attack as unacceptable and unbalanced.

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