After the missile exchange in early January that killed at least eleven people on both sides of their shared border, Iran and Pakistan are beginning to gradually de-escalate tensions. The Iranian Foreign Minister, Hossein Amirabdollahiantraveled to Islamabad on Monday morning to “hold in-depth discussions” with his Pakistani counterpart, Jalil Abbas Jilani. The head of Persian diplomacy was also scheduled to meet with the interim prime minister of Pakistan. Anwaarul Haq Kakar.
The first high-level diplomatic meeting since their respective armies unilaterally decided to bomb rival armed groups in the border region of Balochistan saw the parties agree to redouble their efforts to cooperate in the fight against terrorism. Their respective armies will station liaison officers in the cities of Turbat on the Pakistani side and Zahedan on the Iranian side.
“The threat of terrorism represents a common challenge for all our countries,” Jalil Abbas Jilani said at a press conference. “Pakistan and Iran have agreed to pursue collective and cooperative approaches to address this situation, while comprehensively analyzing the strong institutional mechanisms that already exist between our two countries.” Amirabdollahian, in turn, made it clear during their joint appearance that neither Islamabad nor Tehran “will give terrorists the opportunity to endanger the security of both countries.” Two countries that, according to them, “have never had border problems and differences.”
The Persian Foreign Minister also noted that “Pakistan’s security is the security of Iran and the entire region” and that both countries “respect each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” A premise that was questioned by the incumbent government of Pakistan after the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, without warning and against the backdrop of the war in Gaza and tensions in the Red Sea, bombed the bases of the Sunni Jaish al-Adl group located on its territory , which Tehran classifies as terrorist, in an attack that killed at least two people.
The military response of Pakistan, which decided to recall its ambassador in the Iranian capital for consultations and demanded the withdrawal of the Iranian ambassador in Islamabad, was delayed by two days. The Pakistani army eventually attacked the hideouts of the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and the Baloch Liberation Front (BLF), two Pakistani separatist groups, on Iranian soil. 10 people were killed in the offensive.
Iran and Pakistan, which have nuclear weapons, have long viewed each other with suspicion because of ongoing attacks by militant groups on their respective security forces. Both accuse each other of harboring extremist organizations in their territory. The recent attacks against the militants are partly a response to the domestic pressures facing both countries, but they risk worsening an already critical situation in the region.