Pakistan vows to deepen ties with Bangladesh and Iran as Sharif meets Rahman, Pezeshkian on UNGA margins

Pakistan has vowed to deepen bilateral cooperation with Dhaka and Tehran, as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met his Bangladesh counterpart Tarique Rahman and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

Mr. Sharif posted on X, on Friday (September 25, 2026), saying he had a “warm and most cordial” exchange with Mr. Rahman.

“In our most useful discussion, Prime Minister Rehman and I agreed to further deepen Pakistan-Bangladesh bilateral cooperation in trade, investment, connectivity, education, tourism and people-to-people exchanges, while maintaining close coordination between our two countries on regional and global issues as well as at multilateral fora,” the Prime Minister said.

Mr. Sharif also congratulated Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rehman on assuming the presidency of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly.

The meeting comes as Dhaka seeks to strengthen ties with countries like Pakistan and China, while relations with neighbouring India remain strained.

In his meeting with Mr. Pezeshkian, Mr. Sharif said he “reaffirmed the deep and longstanding bonds between Pakistan and Iran” and their “shared desire to further strengthen bilateral cooperation” across all areas of mutual interest.

“We also had an important exchange on the evolving regional situation,” the prime minister said in a social media post on Thursday (September 24, 2026). “I reiterated Pakistan’s deep concern over the prolonged conflict and stressed the urgent need for restraint, de-escalation and sustained diplomacy.”

“We remain committed to building on the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding and will continue to play a sincere and constructive role in the pursuit of lasting peace and stability in the region,” Mr. Sharif said.

He added that he deeply values Mr. Pezeshkian’s commitment to “Pakistan-Iran friendship” and the “close coordination for regional peace at this critical juncture”.

The meeting between the two leaders came days after Pakistan Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi visited Tehran for talks with Iranian leaders and officials, seeking to revive Islamabad’s diplomatic efforts to ease tensions between Iran and the U.S. amid a continuing standoff.

Pakistan has been playing a key mediator between Tehran and Washington to revive stalled negotiations. The two parties had signed an interim peace agreement in June, which Islamabad also signed as a “guarantor”, but the process has been disrupted after military escalation by both sides.