Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar met with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Tuesday, during an official visit to Iran, where both leaders agreed to deepen cooperation in “all spheres”.

Dar, also the foreign minister, is in Iran to attend the 28th meeting of the Council Ministers of the Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO), according to state-run Radio Pakistan.

The deputy PM arrived in Mashhad last night, where he was received by Razavi Khorasan Vice Governor General Mohammad Ali Nabipoor and Pakistan’s Ambassador to Iran Mudassir Tipu, the foreign ministry said in a post on X.

Today, Dar met with FM Araghchi on the sidelines of the ECO meeting, according to a statement by the foreign ministry on X.

Both ministers exchanged views on areas of mutual interest and the latest regional and global developments. “They agreed to deepen cooperation between both the countries in all spheres,” the statement noted.

The meeting is Dar and Araghchi’s second within a month. They last met when the Iranian minister undertook a two-day official visit to Pakistan in early November.

Israel’s ongoing military offensive in Gaza and other regional tensions were at the centre of their discussions during that meeting.

FM Araghchi had also met with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir, assuring them of Iran’s commitment to denying terrorists any space to target Pakistan.

At the ECO ministerial meeting, Dar will sign ‘Charter for ECO Clean Energy Centre’, Radio Pakistan stated.

In his address, the foreign minister will reiterate Pakistan’s commitment to the ECO Charter and highlight the potential of greater connectivity in the ECO region through the development of road and rail networks, liberalisation of visa regimes and simplification of border procedures.