Iran ready to meet Pakistan's oil, gas, electricity demands: Rouhani

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani Monday said that Iran's ready to meet Pakistan's oil, gas and electricity demands, adding that cooperation between Chabahar port and Gwadar port can be increased.

During Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit to Tehran, Rouhani said: "Iran is ready to meet Pakistan´s oil and gas demands... (and) we are ready to increase electricity exports to Pakistan ten-fold," he added.

He said cooperation between Chabahar port in southeast Iran and Pakistan´s Gwadar port can be increased, and that Tehran could facilitate the construction of a railroad connecting Istanbul to Islamabad.

He said import and export balance could be ensured as both the sides had agreed to set up a Barter Committee to exchange goods, adding that Iran was determined to strengthen bilateral ties with Pakistan and no third country could harm their brotherly relations.

For his part, PM Imran Khan said his visit to Tehran aimed to "find ways to increase trade and cooperation... in energy and other areas."

During the joint press conference, PM said: "Pakistan is after finding a mechanism to enhance economic relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran, specially in the oil and gas sector."

"Pakistan is after long-term relations with Iran and we should use the abundant potentials existing in the region to this end," he added.

Imran Khan also met with Iran´s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who called for the "strengthening of relations in spite of the will of enemies."

Khamenei blamed those unnamed "enemies" for the attacks on both sides of the Iran-Pakistan border, which the supreme leader said were intended to "contaminate" relations between the two Muslim nations.