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Iran and Pakistan discuss Afghan security ahead of Moscow Format talks
Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Mohammad Sadiq, met with his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad-Reza Bahrami, on Monday to review the latest developments in Afghanistan.
Senior diplomats from Iran and Pakistan have held talks in Moscow ahead of the 7th Moscow Format of Consultations on Afghanistan, focusing on the country’s security challenges and the need for coordinated regional engagement.
Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Mohammad Sadiq, met with his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad-Reza Bahrami, on Monday to review the latest developments in Afghanistan.
“Had a great meeting with Muhammad Reza Bahrami, my Iranian counterpart, in Moscow ahead of Moscow Format consultations on Afghanistan starting tomorrow,” Sadiq wrote on X.
“We held in-depth discussions on the latest developments in Afghanistan and exchanged views on shared concerns, particularly the persistent threat of terrorism.”
According to Sadiq, both sides underscored the importance of continued dialogue and cooperation to address mutual security challenges. “We also explored avenues for strengthening bilateral cooperation and enhancing regional engagement to support stability and security,” he added.
The meeting comes as regional powers prepare for the Moscow Format summit, scheduled for Tuesday, which will be attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The agenda includes promoting national reconciliation in Afghanistan and expanding collaboration between Kabul and neighboring countries on political, economic, counterterrorism, and narcotics issues.
A joint statement is expected at the conclusion of the talks.
This year’s session is particularly significant as it marks the first Moscow Format meeting since Russia formally recognized the Islamic Emirate government. On July 4, 2025, Moscow accepted the credentials of the Islamic Emirate-appointed ambassador, becoming the first country to grant official recognition to the authorities in Kabul — a move that has reshaped regional dynamics around engagement with Afghanistan’s rulers.
The spokesperson of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Zabiullah Mujahid announced on Wednesday that the security and defense forces of the Islamic Emirate will temporarily halt the “Rad al-Zulm” defensive operation on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr and also at the request of Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Qatar.
Zabiullah Mujahid said in a post on X: “The Islamic Emirate, while appreciating the goodwill of friendly and mediating countries, emphasizes that maintaining Afghanistan’s national security, territorial integrity, and the safety of Afghan lives is its national and religious duty, and it will bravely respond to any aggression in case of a threat.”
Meanwhile, Ataullah Tarar, Pakistan’s Minister of Information and Broadcasting, also announced that Pakistan has temporarily suspended its attacks on Afghanistan for Eid al-Fitr at the request of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey.
A UN official told Reuters on Wednesday that the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) estimated the number of victims of the bombing of Kabul’s Omid hospital by Pakistan at 143 dead.
However, health officials in Afghanistan had earlier reported that the attack killed more than 400 people and injured 265.
Former Afghan president Hamid Karzai has accused Pakistan of trying to create “anarchy and weakness” in Afghanistan, following a deadly airstrike on Kabul.
In an interview with UK’s Sky News, Karzai said Islamabad’s policies were aimed at keeping Afghanistan unstable and “downtrodden,” warning that such an approach would harm both countries.
He condemned the recent strike on a drug rehabilitation hospital in Kabul, which Afghan officials say killed around 400 people, describing it as an “extremely unfortunate event” in the history of relations between the two neighbours.
Karzai said he personally heard the explosion, describing a “horrific sound” that shook his home and filled the surrounding area with smoke and dust.
The former leader, who governed Afghanistan from 2002 to 2014, said tensions between the two countries are longstanding, claiming Pakistan has struggled to maintain stable relations with successive Afghan governments.
He urged Pakistani leaders to change course and pursue a more constructive relationship, saying past strategies of interference and destabilisation had failed and would not succeed in the future.
Fighting between the two countries has intensified since late February, when Pakistan launched airstrikes it says targeted militant infrastructure. The United Nations estimates the violence has displaced more than 100,000 people.
Pakistan has denied targeting civilians, insisting its operations were aimed at militant sites and accusing Kabul of spreading “misleading” claims to deflect from alleged cross-Durand Line threats.
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