Envoys return to Tehran, Islamabad as relations improve

Iranian Ambassador to Pakistan Reza Amiri Moqaddam returned to Islamabad on Friday to resume his diplomatic duties after a brief tension between the two neighbors, reported Xinhua, quoting Iran's official news agency IRNA.

He left Islamabad for Iran on Jan. 16 before the recent flare-up between the two countries.

The deep-rooted relations between Iran and Pakistan can help solve the issues affecting their ties, the IRNA quoted the Iranian diplomat as saying. The ambassador also expressed hope that the two countries would cooperate to counter terrorism.

The IRNA also reported that Pakistan's Ambassador to Iran Muhammad Mudassir Tipu went back to Tehran earlier on Friday.

Tipu said in a post on the social media platform X that he returned to Tehran with the "sincere and good wishes" of Pakistan's leadership, adding it was time to "turn a new leaf."

Iran and Pakistan said in a joint statement on Monday that they had agreed to send back their ambassadors by Friday.

The statement said the decision was made following a phone call between Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and his Pakistani counterpart Jalil Abbas Jilani. It noted that Amir-Abdollahian would visit Pakistan on Jan. 29 at Jilani's invitation.

On Jan. 16, Iran carried out a series of missile and drone strikes within Pakistan's Balochistan province, claiming that it had targeted the terrorist group Jaish ul-Adl. Pakistan then denounced Iran's "violation of its airspace" and recalled its ambassador from Iran.

On Jan. 18, Pakistan launched a missile strike on a border village in Iran's southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan, prompting Iran's protests.