Iran, Pakistan ambassadors resume duties after tensions over missile strikes

The Iranian and Pakistani ambassadors have returned to their posts, a senior Iranian Foreign Ministry official has said.

Rasoul Mousavi, director general of the South Asian affairs department at Iran's Foreign Ministry, said on Friday that Pakistani Ambassador to Iran Muhammad Mudassir Tipu and Iran's Ambassador to Islamabad Reza Amiri Moqaddam returned to their respective posts earlier in the day.

He added that and the people and officials of both countries are happy with the restoration of good relations.

The official highlighted the "very heavy" responsibility of the two countries' mass media to strengthen friendly and fraternal relations.

Iran FM to visit Pakistan following tensions over missile strikes

The Iranian foreign minister will make an official visit to Pakistan next week signaling efforts to mend ties after tensions.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and his Pakistani counterpart, Jalil Abbas Jilani, issued a joint statement on Monday following an earlier phone conversation.

At the invitation of the Pakistani foreign minister, Amir-Abdollahian "will travel to Pakistan on January 29, 2024," the statement said.

It added that the top Iranian and Pakistani diplomats also agreed that ambassadors of both countries would return to their posts by January 26.

Pakistan's caretaker Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar announced on January 19 a complete restoration of diplomatic relations with Iran.

Kakar said that it was in the interest of both Iran and Pakistan to take steps to restore their relationship to the levels before the recent tensions.

The announcement was made on Friday after caretaker Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar of Pakistan held an emergency security meeting with the military and intelligence chiefs to discuss the recent turbulences.

The two neighboring countries witnessed an escalation of cross-border tensions over Iran's counter-terrorism operations.

On January 16, Iran launched simultaneous drone and missile attacks on two bases of Jaish ul-Adl, a terror outfit that was formed in 2012 and has conducted several attacks on Iranian soil in recent years.

The group claimed responsibility for an attack in December 2023 on a police station in the southeastern city of Rask that killed at least 11 Iranian police officers. On January 10, another attack by the group on a police station in the city killed one officer.

Pakistan carried out strikes on Thursday against what it called bases of the separatist Baloch Liberation Front and Baloch Liberation Army in regions close to Iran’s border.

Tehran condemned the attack as unacceptable and unbalanced.

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