TEHRAN – Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Islamabad on Monday, as he attempts to mediate between Pakistan and India, whose relations have steadily declined since last month.

“Today, our trip to Pakistan had three main goals,” Araghchi told reporters after meeting with his Pakistani counterpart, Muhammad Ishaq Dar. “First, we wanted to get a clear understanding of the current situation in the region, especially regarding the ongoing developments between India and Pakistan.”

The top diplomat said that both Pakistan and India are “friendly nations” to Iran, and that he was eager to hear Pakistan’s perspective on the current situation before heading to India. 

A deadly terrorist attack in the disputed Himalayan region of Pahalgam, killing 26 tourists, became a new point of contention between the two neighbors on April 22. India has blamed Pakistan for the attack, but Pakistan has rejected the accusations. That brought about a diplomatic flare-up and exchanges of small arms fire across the border in Kashmir, with Pakistan now saying it is awaiting an incursion by India. 

Concerned about the potential repercussions of escalating tensions between the two South Asian countries, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian spoke by phone with leaders in Islamabad and New Delhi last month, urging restraint and offering Tehran’s mediation services. Iran's close proximity and ties to both nations make it vulnerable to any potential military fallout.

In addition to addressing the regional tensions, Araghchi’s discussions in Pakistan also focused on strengthening bilateral ties. "[During this trip], we aimed to discuss and strengthen our bilateral relations with Pakistan, particularly in political, economic, and cultural areas. We discussed these topics and look forward to continuing our discussions in future meetings," the foreign minister told reporters.

For his part, Pakistan’s Ishaq Dar affirmed the strong historical, cultural, and religious bonds between Tehran and Islamabad, emphasizing the need to expand cooperation in key areas including trade, energy, border security, and regional connectivity.

Araghchi also brought up the latest developments in the indirect negotiations between Tehran and Washington during his high-level exchanges in Pakistan. Iran and the U.S. have held three rounds of discussions mediated by Oman in April, with the aim of creating a new agreement on Iran’s nuclear program following U.S. President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the original agreement in 2018. Iranian officials have been briefing their allies on the progress of these talks since they began.