Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said that Iran’s ballistic missile programme is not part of the Islamabad memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between Tehran and Washington to end the Middle East war.

Speaking alongside Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, the premier said there should be no double standards regarding ballistic missiles, saying that Iran had the same right to have them as other countries.

“The MoU does not include the matter of ballistic missiles — there should be no ambiguity on this,” he said, adding that the Iranian side does not wish to discuss the matter either.

The prime minister also cautioned that “spoilers” were working against the peace agreement, warning that certain elements do not want Iran to emerge from the ashes of war.

PM Shehbaz credited Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, for his central role in securing the ceasefire, saying his contribution was unmatched.

“He worked through the nights with great effort,” the prime minister said.

Iran visit

PM Shehbaz also announced he would travel to Tehran next week at President Pezeshkian’s invitation, signalling continued high-level engagement between the two countries.

Expressing condolences over the death of late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and thousands of others killed during the conflict, Sharif said Pakistan stood in full solidarity with the Iranian people.

“Your joy is our joy, your grief is our grief, and Iran’s loss is our loss,” he said.

The prime minister said Pakistan had performed its mediation role with complete neutrality and thanked the Iranian leadership for trusting Pakistan’s capacity to facilitate. He said Pakistan would continue its role until permanent peace was achieved.

‘One soul, two bodies’

President Pezeshkian, for his part, described Pakistan and Iran as “one soul, two bodies,” calling their relationship unique in nature. He said the signing of the MoU was made possible by Pakistan’s trust and that Islamabad had played an excellent role throughout the negotiation process.

President Pezeshkian said he held constructive meetings with President Asif Ali Zardari, PM Shehbaz, and Field Marshal Munir, during which bilateral relations and the regional situation were discussed.