Iran's president arrives in Pakistan for 3-day visit amid tight security

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi arrives in Islamabad on a three-day visit, during which he plans to discuss a range of issues with authorities in Pakistan’s capital, officials say

ISLAMABAD -- Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi arrived in Islamabad for a three-day visit on Monday, during which he plans to discuss a range of issues with authorities in Pakistan's capital, officials said.

The meeting is part of efforts by Islamabad and Tehran to mend ties which had been briefly strained in January, when the two sides carried out tit-for-tat strikes targeting militants accused of attacking their security forces.

Raisi was welcomed at the airport by Housing Minister Riaz Hussain Pirzada and other officials.

During his stay, Raisi will meet with his Pakistani counterpart Asil Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. He is accompanied by his spouse and a high-level delegation as he plans to also visit Karachi, the country's biggest city, and Lahore.

According to Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the two sides will discuss a range of issues to “further strengthen bilateral ties and enhance cooperation in diverse fields including trade, connectivity, energy, agriculture and people-to-people contacts.”

Pakistan and Iran will also discuss regional and global developments, it said in a statement.

The visit comes after Iran's airstrike into Israel, which was in response to an Israeli strike in Syria that had killed two Iranian generals in a consular building. Pakistan is among the countries that holds no diplomatic relations with Israel because of the issue of Palestinian statehood.