ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi arrived in Tehran Sunday, kickstarting his one-day visit to Iran. The foreign minister was tasked by Prime Minister Imran Khan to play a leading role in establishing peace in the Middle East.

The foreign minister visited the shrine of Imam Raza in Mashhad before heading over to the capital. Qureshi said Pakistan will try to solve the problem of increasing tensions in the Middle East.



The visit of the foreign minister comes on the heels of escalation in tensions between Washington and Tehran after Iran fired missiles at two bases in Iraq housing American troops. The attack was retaliation for a US drone strike ordered by President Trump that killed top Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad last week.

According to Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyyed Abbas Mousavi, Qureshi will hold talks with Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif and other officials on the current situation in the region.



The foreign minister will then travel to Riyadh tomorrow (Monday) where he will hold talks with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and consult his counterpart on the issues concerning regional peace and stability.

During his visits, Qureshi will share Pakistan's perspective on the current situation by stressing the imperative of avoiding any conflict.

The foreign minister will convey Pakistan's readiness to support all efforts that facilitate the resolution of differences and disputes through political and diplomatic means.

FM Qureshi will then travel to Washington on Jan 15 where he will meet senior officials of Donald Trump administration to discuss the Middle East crisis.

On Saturday, the foreign minister had expressed the hope that tensions between Iran and the US would decrease after Tehran admitted it had accidentally shot down a Ukrainian airliner that killed all 176 people on board the aircraft.

“Iran’s confession of downing Ukrainian passenger plane should ease up tensions as the region can neither endure tension nor can it tolerate war anymore,” he had said.

Tensions between Iran and the US simmered down after President Trump held a press conference in the aftermath of the Al-Asad retaliation and offered peace to the people of Iran.

He said the US was "ready to have peace with all those who seek it".

Trump said the US wanted Iran to have a "great and prosperous future with other countries of the world".