Militants located in border areas with Pakistan 'led and supported by third countries': Iran

Iran says militants located in border areas of Pakistan and Iran `led and supported by third countries

Iran on Monday said that the militants located in the border regions of Pakistan and Iran are "led and supported by third countries."

In a joint press conference along with Pakistan Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said: "There is no doubt that the terrorists located in the common border regions and areas of Iran and Pakistan are led and supported by third countries and they never favour any good action in line with the benefits of the Iranian and Pakistani governments and nations."

He, however, did not name any nation.

The statement follows recent tit-for-tat military strikes between Pakistan and Iran targeting alleged terrorist bases in both countries, according to newswire PTI.

On his part, Jilani said Pakistan and Iran have agreed to "establish a high-level constructive mechanism at the level of foreign ministers of the two countries". Both the nations have agreed to "cooperate to fight terrorism in our respective areas", he said, emphasising the need to "allay and address each other's concerns".

Jilani said the threat of terrorism posed a common challenge to both countries, and, therefore, Islamabad and Tehran have agreed to "adopt collaborative approaches to confront this menace to leverage the robust institutional mechanism".

He said the two sides have agreed to station liaison officers at the Iranian cities of Turbat and Zahedan and an agreement is already in place at the earliest date. He said Abdolahian's visit to Pakistan at "such short notice" testified to the deep commitment on both sides to solidify ties with each other.

Taking to X, the Foreign Office said Jilani and Abdollahian have underscored the importance of "robust dialogue and cooperation as the pathway for a positive, forward-oriented and upward trajectory in bilateral relations".

Also read: Gunmen kill 9 people in Iran near border with Pakistan

"The two sides agreed to work towards promoting the mutually desired goals of peace and prosperity, based on mutual respect and a collective approach to address common challenges," it said.

Abdolahian's visit comes after Iran and Pakistan narrowly avoided an armed conflict after Iran unilaterally targeted alleged sites of militants inside the Pakistan border area of Punjgur. However, the situation was saved when Tehran restrained itself from retaliating after Islamabad launched retaliatory strikes in response to its action.

Earlier this month, Pakistan conducted "precision military strikes" against what it called "terrorist hideouts" in Iran's Sistan-Baluchistan province that killed nine people. The attack was seen as retaliation to Iranian missile and drone attacks which targeted two bases of the Sunni Baloch militant group Jaish al-Adl in Pakistan's unruly Balochistan province.

Though the ties have improved since the spat, terrorists killed nine Pakistani labourers in Sistan-Baluchistan province of Iran on Saturday, fuelling fresh concerns. (With inputs from PTI)