TEHRAN – Iranian security official Ali Larijani has departed for Pakistan on a visit aimed at deepening political and security cooperation between the two neighboring countries.
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Secretary Larijani announced the visit in a post on X, describing Pakistan as a “friendly and brotherly country” and recalling Islamabad’s support for Tehran during the 12-day war waged by Israel and the United States against Iran in June.
“Iranians have not forgotten that the people of Pakistan stood with the people of Iran,” he wrote, stressing that both countries play an “important and influential” role in ensuring lasting regional security, and that Iran values the “brotherly relationship” between regional states.
Ahead of Larijani’s arrival in Islamabad, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Tehran, Muhammad Mudasir Tipu, said the visit is expected to strengthen cooperation across political, economic and security fields.
In his remarks on Monday, Tipu noted that Larijani’s visit reflected “extensive and continuing exchanges” between senior officials of the two countries. He added that the SNSC secretariat meeting in Islamabad “will definitely play an important role in further strengthening the historic and deep-rooted ties between Iran and Pakistan.”
Iran’s most populous neighbor, Pakistan, has generated more than $3 billion in bilateral trade in recent years. Both countries have reiterated their ambition to raise this figure to $10 billion, calling for targeted plans and the removal of obstacles to cross-border economic activity.
Expanding economic ties has been a central theme of recent high-level engagements. In late October, Larijani said relations between Iran and Islamabad were ready to go “beyond existing cooperation” and could be elevated to a “lasting strategic partnership.” His comments came during a meeting with Pakistan’s Interior Minister Syed Mohsin Naqvi in Tehran, underscoring the important geopolitical roles the two countries play in regional issues.
Momentum towards deepening cooperation was also evident in the visit to Pakistan in early November by Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, who led a high-level parliamentary delegation to Islamabad.
In a meeting with senior Pakistani officials, Prime Minister Qalibaf called for a “new phase” in bilateral relations focused on strengthening economic, political and security cooperation. He called on both sides to transform existing agreements into practical mechanisms that can foster real economic exchanges.