Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian arrived in Islamabad on Wednesday for a two-day visit, during which he will meet with his Pakistani counterpart, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, and with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

According to the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the visit will be “an opportunity for the two sides to discuss the entire range of bilateral ties with a particular focus on regional connectivity, energy, and economic and investment ties.”

Abdollahian’s arrival to the seventh country to join the nuclear club was preceded by the arrival of a high-ranking delegation, including Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Affairs and senior officials from the Ministries of Trade, Roads and Urban Development, Investment, Agriculture, and Energy, who participated in preparatory meetings.

In May, Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi inaugurated the first mutual border marketplace and electricity transmission line, another indication of the warming of relations.

This is not the only step Iran has taken this week, as part of its ongoing efforts to create regional alliances and fortify its position against the backdrop of US-led pressure.

In Tehran on Monday, the defense ministers of Iran and Belarus signed a defense agreement that would increase the cooperation between them. Relations between Tehran and Minsk have been tightening against the backdrop of Russia’s war on Ukraine, and Al-Monitor reports that the ministers discussed the current situation on the ground.

Iran’s ‘Shahed’ suicide drones have been deployed by Russia during its raids on Ukraine, and the cooperation has been increasing. Kyiv is concerned that Iran is planning to establish a drone manufacturing facility in Belarus and that a deal was agreed upon between the foreign ministers this week.

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