The Iranian president arrived in Islamabad on Monday as the
two Muslim neighbors sought to mend ties after unprecedented tit-for-tat
military strikes earlier this year. The visit also took place as tensions
continued to remain high in the Middle East after Iran launched airstrikes on
Israel a week ago and Israel retaliated with its own attack on Friday.
During his stay in Pakistan, Raisi held several official
meetings in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi to discuss issues related to trade,
connectivity, energy and people-to-people contacts.
Asked about his engagements in Pakistan and signing of MoUs,
US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel cautioned against possible
sanctions in a brief response.
“Just let me say broadly, we advise anyone considering
business deals with Iran to be aware of the potential risk of sanctions,” he
said. “But ultimately, the Government of Pakistan can speak to their own
foreign policy pursuits.”
He was also asked about the US administration’s decision to
announce sanctions against three Chinese and one Belarus-based entity supplying
missile components to Pakistan last week.
“The sanctions were made because these were entities that
were proliferators of weapons of mass destruction and the means of their
delivery,” Patel said. “These were entities based in the PRC (Peoples Republic
of China), in Belarus, and that we have witnessed to have supplied equipment
and other applicable items to Pakistan’s ballistic missile program.”
“We’re going to continue to disrupt and take actions against
proliferation networks and concerning weapons of mass destruction procurement
activities wherever they may occur,” he added.
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