US sowing discord between Iran-Pakistan, says Ayatollah Khamenei

Khamenei expressed hope that good measures would be adopted to implement the I-P project during Sharif's tenure.

TEHRAN: Supreme Leader of Iran Syed Ali Ayatollah Khamenei criticised United States for its attempts to create rift between Iran and Pakistan, Fars News reported.

During his meeting with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Khamenei stressed on the fact that the relations between the two neighbourly countries were not related to third parties.

"There are hands at work that intend to cause differences between the two friendly and intimate Iranian and Pakistani nations through different methods, including stirring insecurity at the lengthy common borders, but we shouldn’t allow the big opportunity existing for the expansion of the relations between the two countries to be lost," said Iran’s Supreme leader.

Underlining the need to further enhance the ties between the two countries, Khamenei laid emphasis on the implementation of joint ventures, like and Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project and expressed the hope that good measures would be adopted on this ground during Sharif's tenure.

Emphasising on the independent nature of Tehran-Islamabad relations, he said that the two states shouldn’t wait for others' permission to enhance their ties.

"The US whose maliciousness is clear to all is among the governments which is attempting to create rift between Iran and Pakistan," said Khamenei.

The Iranian supreme leader also cautioned that there are some other governments as well that are creating rift between Iran and Pakistan, and the two countries should take good care not to be trapped by such states.