Iranian President Pezeshkian to Visit Pakistan After US-Iran Talks

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian will arrive in Islamabad on April 22 (local time) for a state visit to Pakistan, his first foreign trip since the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28.

The visit comes just one day after Pakistan and Qatar announced that the first high-level negotiations between the US and Iran, held in Burgenstock, Switzerland, had produced a 60-day roadmap toward a final agreement. Analysts say the timing is no coincidence.

“Pezeshkian’s arrival in Islamabad immediately after signing the Memorandum of Understanding shows he needs to convert this fragile deal into political capital — domestically, within the state apparatus, regionally and internationally. He needs this visit more than Pakistan does,” said Reza Khanzadeh, an analyst on Middle Eastern affairs and professor at George Mason University, speaking to Al Jazeera.

During the visit, President Pezeshkian will hold talks with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who mediated the talks in Switzerland, alongside President Asif Ali Zardari. According to Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry, other senior officials will also take part, including Senate Chairman Yousaf Raza Gilani, National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.

The two sides are expected to discuss the outcomes of the Swiss talks as well as measures to boost bilateral cooperation in trade, energy, border security and regional connectivity.

Building Relations Through Crisis

This is not the first time President Pezeshkian has chosen Pakistan as a foreign destination. After the 12-day war between Iran and Israel in June 2025, he traveled to Lahore before heading to Islamabad. At that time, 12 bilateral agreements were signed, along with a commitment to raise two-way trade to $10 billion from around $3 billion.

“Pakistan was the first country President Pezeshkian chose to personally express his gratitude and appreciation for the commitment, assistance and mediation efforts from Pakistan’s political, military and civilian leadership,” said Afzal Reza, head of the Iranian state news agency IRNA’s office in Islamabad.

However, ties between the two nations have not always been smooth. In January 2024, Iran fired missiles into Pakistan’s Balochistan province, targeting the armed group Jaish al-Adl. Pakistan retaliated within 48 hours with strikes on militant bases in Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan province. Both countries recalled their ambassadors in what was considered one of the most serious military tensions between them in decades.

Iran’s then-Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian subsequently visited Islamabad to defuse the tension, and relations gradually recovered. Months later, President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian died in a helicopter crash in northwestern Iran. Pezeshkian won the election and took office in July 2025, inheriting relations that had been repaired with Pakistan.

“Pakistan is no longer simply a message-carrier. Iran is signaling that Islamabad has become a party with a political stake in the process,” Khanzadeh said.

‘Iran Engages from a Sovereign Position’

Since the US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, Prime Minister Sharif and President Pezeshkian have exchanged at least seven phone calls. Pakistan’s army chief, General Asim Munir, has traveled to Tehran at least twice, while Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has also made multiple trips as part of Pakistan’s mediation efforts.

The efforts culminated in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on June 18 between US President Donald Trump and President Pezeshkian, with Prime Minister Sharif signing as the mediator.

The first round of talks in Burgenstock, which concluded on Sunday, achieved several outcomes: the establishment of a high-level political committee, working groups on nuclear issues and sanctions, a communications hotline on the Strait of Hormuz, and a de-escalation mechanism for Lebanon. Technical discussions will continue this week.

Khanzadeh said Burgenstock handles technical negotiations, while Islamabad provides the political channel. “Technical experts can draft mechanisms, roadmaps and verification language, but they cannot create the political cover that allows leaders to absorb concessions or manage spoilers,” he said.

Asif Durrani, a former Pakistani ambassador to Iran, expressed cautious optimism about the visit. On Iran’s nuclear program, he said Tehran is “comfortable with not pursuing nuclear weapons” and will comply with IAEA safeguards. The bigger prize is the lifting of sanctions. “Iran has been allowed to export oil to world markets within 60 days. That’s a huge relief,” Durrani said.

On Lebanon, the former ambassador argued that responsibility for ensuring Israel respects any agreement lies with the US. “The first point in the Islamabad MoU is very specific about regional peace, including Lebanon. If Israel thinks it is not part of that, that’s their problem with the US,” he said.

Pezeshkian’s visit also bolsters Pakistan’s diplomatic standing. By openly choosing Islamabad, Khanzadeh said, Iran is confirming Pakistan’s role as having evolved from a facilitator to a recognized mediator in the region.

For Pezeshkian, the trip carries domestic significance. “It allows Pezeshkian to show that diplomacy is not surrender, that Iran engages from a sovereign position, with regional partners, rather than simply responding to US pressure,” Khanzadeh concluded.