Pezeshkian to visit Pakistan after US-Iran roadmap talks

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is due in Islamabad for a state visit one day after Pakistan and Qatar said US-Iran talks in Switzerland had produced a 60-day path toward a final agreement, according to Al Jazeera. The trip gives Pakistan a public role in diplomacy between Tehran and Washington and gives Pezeshkian a regional platform after months of conflict and negotiations.

Al Jazeera reported that the Tuesday visit will be Pezeshkian’s first foreign trip since the United States and Israel began attacks on Iran on February 28. During the visit, he is expected to meet Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who mediated the Switzerland talks, and President Asif Ali Zardari.

Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Senate Chairman Yousaf Raza Gilani, National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar are also scheduled to meet the Iranian president. The agenda is expected to include the Switzerland process, trade, energy, border security and regional links, according to Al Jazeera.

A visit tied to the talks

The Burgenstock talks ended Sunday with several steps, Al Jazeera reported: a high-level political committee, working groups on nuclear issues and sanctions, a communication line related to the Strait of Hormuz, and a de-confliction mechanism for Lebanon. Technical discussions are continuing this week.

The diplomatic track follows a Memorandum of Understanding signed June 18 by US President Donald Trump and Pezeshkian, with Sharif signing as mediator, according to Al Jazeera. The most recent call between Sharif and Pezeshkian took place that day and lasted more than 30 minutes; during it, Sharif invited Pezeshkian to Islamabad, Al Jazeera reported.

Reza Khanzadeh, a Middle East analyst and professor at George Mason University, told Al Jazeera that Pezeshkian needs to turn the agreement into support at home, inside Iran’s state institutions, in the region and abroad. Khanzadeh said the visit shows that Islamabad has become politically invested in the process, rather than serving only as a channel for messages.

Khanzadeh also told Al Jazeera that Switzerland is hosting the technical work, while Pakistan can help build political trust. Technical talks can produce schedules and verification language, he said, but leaders also need political space to handle concessions and opposition.

A relationship tested by crisis

Pezeshkian previously visited Pakistan after the 12-day Iran-Israel war in June 2025, choosing the country as his first foreign destination as president, according to Al Jazeera. During that trip, the two governments signed 12 agreements and set a goal of raising annual trade to $10bn from about $3bn.

Afzal Reza, Islamabad bureau chief for Iran’s state news agency IRNA, told Al Jazeera that Pezeshkian is visiting to thank Pakistan’s political leadership, military and public for their role in mediation efforts.

The relationship has also faced serious strain. In January 2024, Iran launched missile strikes in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, saying it was targeting Jaish al-Adl, and Pakistan responded within 48 hours with strikes in Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan province, according to Al Jazeera. Both sides recalled ambassadors before Iran’s then-foreign minister, Hossein Amirabdollahian, travelled to Islamabad and relations were gradually restored.

Asif Durrani, a former Pakistani ambassador to Iran, told Al Jazeera he is cautiously optimistic about the visit. He said Iran is comfortable avoiding nuclear weapons and would comply with International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards, while sanctions relief remains the larger prize.

Durrani said Iran has already been allowed to sell oil on world markets for 60 days. On Lebanon, he told Al Jazeera that the United States bears responsibility for ensuring Israel honours any understanding reached with Tehran.

This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.