Iranian President Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian’s plane landed at Noor Khan Air Base in Rawalpindi on June 23, marking the start of his official state visit to Pakistan at the invitation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The visit is Tehran’s formal expression of gratitude for Pakistan’s mediatory role in brokering the Islamabad MoU and the US-Iran diplomatic breakthrough at the Lake Lucerne Summit in Bürgenstock, Switzerland.
Iranian Foreign Minister Syed Abbas Araghchi arrived separately in Islamabad ahead of the President’s landing. He was received by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. Araghchi had been in Muscat, Oman, alongside Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, for a meeting with the Sultan of Oman before flying directly to Islamabad.
In a notable show of protocol, Araghchi’s plane was escorted by Pakistani F-16 fighter jets upon entering Pakistani airspace, a gesture reserved for high-level state visits.
The arrival of both the President and the Foreign Minister on the same day reflects the significance Tehran attaches to Islamabad’s role in the peace process. Pakistan brokered one of the most consequential diplomatic agreements in recent regional history, ending active hostilities between the United States and Iran and facilitating the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
