Iran’s president says latest developments show strength of ties with Pakistan

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Tuesday that recent developments have shown the strength of relations between Iran and Pakistan.

"The relations between Tehran and Islamabad have always been based on mutual respect, goodwill, and historical trust, and recent developments have once again demonstrated the strength of this valuable asset," Pezeshkian told a joint news conference in Islamabad with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as part of his visit to Pakistan.

Iran's ballistic missile program is not part of the recent memorandum of understanding with the US and "will never be," he stressed.

"No negotiations have taken place regarding ballistic missiles and there will be no negotiations," he added.

Pezeshkian arrived in Pakistan on Tuesday on his first overseas visit since the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran in February. He was accompanied by a high-level delegation that included government ministers and senior officials.

The US and Israel launched a war on Iran on Feb. 28, triggering retaliatory attacks from Tehran that targeted US assets across the Middle East. The fighting was halted on April 8 under a ceasefire mediated by Islamabad.

Pezeshkian and US President Donald Trump electronically signed a memorandum of understanding on June 17 aimed at reaching a lasting peace agreement between the two sides.