Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar held a telephone conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Friday to discuss the situation in Iran and wider regional developments, Pakistan’s Foreign Office said.

The call came days after Pakistan raised concerns at the United Nations Security Council, where Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, the Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations, urged restraint amid heightened tensions and emphasized that the UN Charter prohibits external interference in the internal affairs of states. Pakistan also expressed hope for an early normalization of conditions in Iran, according to a statement delivered at the council.

In a brief readout, Pakistan’s Foreign Office said the two diplomats exchanged views on regional stability and issues of mutual interest. Dar conveyed Islamabad’s hope for peace and stability in Iran and across the broader region, the statement said.

Pakistan and Iran share a long border and maintain close diplomatic ties, with regular high-level contacts on political, security, and economic matters. Developments inside Iran and their regional implications are closely watched in Islamabad, particularly in the context of border security and regional trade.

Both sides reaffirmed the importance of continued dialogue and agreed to maintain bilateral consultations, reflecting what the Foreign Office described as longstanding and cordial relations between the two neighboring countries.

Iran protests

Iran has been rocked by weeks of nationwide protests that began in late December over worsening economic conditions and rapidly escalated into broader antigovernment unrest, drawing widespread international attention. Rights groups say hundreds have been killed in clashes between demonstrators and security forces, the deadliest protests since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, even as a heavy security presence has quelled much of the street activity.

The United States has voiced support for Iranian protesters and imposed sanctions on Iranian security officials over the crackdown, saying it stands with the Iranian people and warning that “all options are on the table” if violence against demonstrators continues.