Terrorism common threat facing Iran, Pakistan: Shamkhani

Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani has described terrorism as a common threat to Iran and Pakistan and a challenge to the world, saying the two countries must adopt strategies and take swift action to counter the scourge.

“We will not allow some state to undermine the two countries’ relations by sending weapons and hiring terrorists in order to create insecurity along [Iran and Pakistan's] borders,” Shamkhani said in a meeting with Naseer Khan Janjua, Adviser to Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on National Security, in Tehran on Monday.

Shamkhani added that the two countries’ senior officials are resolved to strengthen their cooperation and make joint efforts to deal with the issues in the Muslim world.

The SNSC secretary urged Iran and Pakistan to safeguard sustainable security in the border areas and take joint measures to fight bandits, curb drug trafficking, and also fight human and arms smuggling.

“Fighting the Daesh-nurturing ideology is the most important priority and the infrastructure of the fight against terrorism and without it no country either in the region or in Europe will enjoy security and stability,” Shamkhani pointed out.

He also expressed regret that a certain Muslim country, in accordance with the wishes of the enemies of the Muslim world, would spend its money and resources on spreading war and terrorism in the region and establish secret relations with the Israeli regime.

The Pakistani security official, for his part, said Muslim countries must remain vigilant in dealing with foreign plots aimed at escalating conflicts among Muslims.

Janjua voiced concern over the suffering of Muslims caused by the spread of terrorism and said the ongoing crises in Muslim countries are the outcome of the enemies’ long-term plots to destroy the infrastructure as well as financial and human resources of Muslim countries and to weaken the Muslim world against the West.

He further stated that last year’s nuclear agreement reached between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries and the removal of sanctions against Tehran have prepared new grounds for enhancing trade, commercial and economic cooperation between Iran and Pakistan.

Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council — the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia — plus Germany started implementing last July's nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), on January 16.

Under the deal, all nuclear-related sanctions imposed on Iran by the European Union, the Security Council and the US should be lifted. Iran has, in return, put some limitations on its nuclear activities.

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