President Pezeshkian thanks PM Sharif for mediation in Iran-US agreement

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian spoke by telephone on Thursday, pledging to deepen bilateral ties after the online signing of a Pakistan-mediated framework agreement between Iran and the United States aimed at ending months of hostilities.

The 30-minute conversation was the first between the two leaders since the “Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding” was signed, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office.

Sharif congratulated Pezeshkian, Iran’s leadership and its people on what he described as the historic peace agreement, saying it would promote regional stability and further strengthen ties between Pakistan and Iran.

The prime minister also conveyed his best wishes to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei, and reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to supporting its neighbouring country across various fields.

“As a brotherly and neighbouring country, Pakistan will continue extending its full support to Iran in every sector,” Sharif said, according to the statement.

Pezeshkian thanked Sharif and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir for their role in facilitating the agreement, saying their “skill, sincerity and wisdom” had helped bring the mediation process to a successful conclusion.

He said that Iran would always remember Pakistan’s “positive, constructive and sincere support” during a difficult period and reaffirmed Tehran’s desire to further expand bilateral relations with Islamabad.

The two leaders agreed to exchange visits to each other’s capitals at an early date and remain in close contact in the coming days, the statement said.

The call came after Iran and the United States reached a preliminary framework agreement to permanently cease military operations against each other and their allies under a Pakistan-mediated Memorandum of Understanding.

The framework agreement, dubbed the “Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding”, is scheduled to be formally signed in Geneva on Friday and outlines commitments on a permanent ceasefire, sanctions relief, nuclear oversight and a roadmap toward a comprehensive peace treaty.

The agreement formally entered into force on Wednesday after US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Pezeshkian signed the accord. Prime Minister Sharif signed the Memorandum of Understanding electronically on Thursday in his capacity as mediator.

The framework provides a 60-day period for negotiating a binding peace treaty, which would subsequently require endorsement through a United Nations Security Council resolution.