Pezeshkian Visits Pakistan Following US-Iran Peace Agreement

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian conducted a one-day state visit to Islamabad on June 23, 2026, marking his first international trip since the February 28 U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran. The visit served to acknowledge the critical role of Pakistan and Qatar in mediating the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), a 14-point peace accord electronically signed by Pezeshkian and U.S. President Donald Trump on June 17.

Pezeshkian held high-level meetings with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, President Asif Ali Zardari, and Field Marshal Asim Munir. During these talks, Pezeshkian explicitly stated that Iran's ballistic missile program was excluded from the MoU and remains non-negotiable, arguing that these capabilities prevented the devastation of Iran. Prime Minister Sharif supported this position, criticizing double standards regarding missile technology.

While the agreement established a 60-day roadmap to resolve disputes over sanctions and the nuclear program, and included a U.S. Treasury license for Iranian oil sales, diplomatic friction persists. U.S. Vice President JD Vance claimed Iran agreed to IAEA inspections of bombed nuclear sites, a point the Iranian Foreign Ministry denied. Additionally, Iran rejected U.S. demands that unfrozen assets be used to purchase American agricultural products. Tensions remain fragile as Israeli military actions in Lebanon continue.