President Hassan Rouhani and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif explored ways of restoring calm to a turbulent region plagued by political disputes and violent militancy.
Rouhani met with the visiting prime minister in Tehran on Tuesday.
The president said security challenges facing the region are “alarming”, noting that Iran is ready to help countries engage in the anti-terror fight.
Sharif said Islamabad has always sought “fraternity and friendship” among Muslims and made efforts to help resolve differences. Before the visit to Tehran, Sharif met with Saudi King Salman in Riyadh and expressed “deep concern” over the growing tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia, AFP reported.
Tensions between the two regional powers flared up when Saudi Arabia executed prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr on Jan. 2, sparking a huge outcry among Shias across the Middle East.
Saudi Arabia broke off diplomatic relations with Iran after protesters outraged by the execution stormed its missions in Tehran and Mashhad. Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi on Tuesday left Tehran for Jeddah to attend an extraordinary meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation over the attacks on Saudi diplomatic posts.
