Iran Pakistan Relation : Iran and Pakistan are conducting strikes at each other. Iran and Pakistan are once allies and now exchanging strikes.Infact, Iran was the first country to recognize Pakistan as an independent state in 1947. However, significant strategic shifts have occurred between 1947 and 2024. Both nations, with Iran having a Shia majority and Pakistan a Sunni majority, now possess nuclear capabilities.
Sharing a volatile border stretching approximately 900 kilometers, Iran and Pakistan have consistently opposed separatist activities on either side. Let’s examine how the relationship between these two countries has evolved over the past 77 years.
1965 : During the India-Pakistan War that broke out on 17 September 1965, Iran supported Pakistan’s claim over Kashmir but confined its support to political statements and limited logistical aid, although it provided extensive relief support. At that time, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) sought to acquire additional aircraft from Indonesia, Iraq, Iran, Turkiye and China within 10 days of the commencement of the War. It succeeded in obtaining some assistance from Asian countries with large Islamic populations, including Turkiye, Iran and Indonesia.
After the War, the Pahlavi regime offered to mediate between India and Pakistan, and during separate visits to both countries, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi urged both sides to settle their differences peacefully.
1960 : But in the late 1960s, Iran transferred a large number of fighters to Pakistan that were used against India in the war of 1971.
1970 : Pakistan, Iran and Turkiye joined the US-sponsored CENTO (Central Treaty Organisation) defence treaty which extended along the Soviet Union’s southern perimeter.
1970 : The relationship between Iran and Pakistan was further strengthened in the 1970s by a joint endeavour to suppress a rebel movement based in the provinces of Iranian Baluchistan, Pakistani Baluchistan and Afghani Baluchistan.
1971: During the war in 1971, also when the U.S. administration supported Pakistan both politically and materially, Washington proposed a UN Resolution warning India against going to war. The US sent military supplies to Pakistan, routing them through Jordan and Iran. President Nixon also persuaded Iran and Jordan to send their F-86, F-104 and F-5 fighter jets to aid Pakistan.
It is said that the Shah of Iran had listed the well-being of Pakistan as a key term on his foreign policy agenda. He Said, “I could not tolerate the (further) disintegration of Pakistan,”. He had also told the India that Iran would support Pakistan in case of further escalation.
1974: Iran is also believed to have assisted Pakistan financially in its development of a nuclear programme after India’s test in 1974. At the same time, Iran tried to mediate in the conflict between India and Pakistan on several
1979: Revolutionary Iran withdrew from CENTO and dissociated itself from strategic cooperation with the United States and other Western countries.The new Islamic government in Iran distanced itself from the Pakistani government as the latter was a formal strategic ally of the US and received military support from Western countries to play the role of the main ally of the Western bloc in South Asia.
1979 : Regime Change: The Islamic revolution in Iran under Ayatollah Khomeini and Pakistan’s ‘Islamisation’ phase led by General Zia-ul-Haq marked a turning point. Sectarian differences deepened as Pakistan embraced Sunni orthodoxy, while Iran became a Shi’ite Islamic republic.
1990: US-Iran Relations: The estrangement between Iran and the US during the Islamic revolution affected Pakistan-Iran ties. The US support for Saudi Arabia in the Iran-Iraq war and opposite alliances in Afghanistan strained relations.
1998: The execution of Iranian diplomats by the Taliban placed Iran and Pakistan on opposing sides. Sectarian clashes escalated in Pakistan as Iran funded Shi’ite institutions.
2004: Trade Agreement: The Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) signed in 2004 has not been replaced by a Free Trade Agreement (FTA). Talks for the FTA have not yielded results.
2001: Post-9/11 Shift: Pakistan’s alignment with the US against the Taliban shifted dynamics, impacting its ties with Iran. Close ties with Saudi Arabia strengthened, tilting the balance away from Iran.
2017 : Islamic Military Coalition: Pakistan’s decision to join the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition (IMCTC), led by Saudi Arabia, raised concerns in Iran. Pakistan emphasizes the need for reassurances to prevent the coalition from becoming anti-Iran.