Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for attending the funeral of late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran earlier this week.

“I am grateful for the presence of my dear brother, Mr Shehbaz Sharif, and the high-ranking Pakistani delegation and the sincere sympathy of the government and people of Pakistan,” Pezeshkian has written in a letter posted on X. “We will not forget this support.”

He adds that Iran and Pakistan have always “shared each other’s tears and smiles and have stood side by side with solidarity and brotherhood”.

“I hope that by relying on the deep bonds of brotherhood, the relations between the two countries will expand and deepen further,” Pezeshkian writes.

“The martyred leader (Khamenei) was always interested in the noble government and people of Pakistan and considered cultural commonalities as the wealth of the two nations.”