“If Takfiri groups are not confronted, they will pose more damages and blows to the Muslim world,” Ayatollah Khamenei said in a meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in Tehran on Monday.

The Leader also stated that certain countries are making efforts to deliberately cause insecurity along Iran-Pakistan common border.

“There are hands at work to create division between the two friendly and sincere people of Iran and Pakistan through different methods including causing insecurity along [the two countries’] long common border, but the great opportunity for the expansion of ties between the two countries should not be allowed to be missed,” Ayatollah Khamenei stated.

The Leader emphasized that the US seeks to foment division between Iran and Pakistan, saying there are also other governments which are active in this regard.

Ayatollah Khamenei further pointed to the broad cultural and religious commonalities between the Iranian and Pakistani people and expressed regret over the decrease in the level of bilateral economic cooperation.

The Leader expressed hope that Tehran and Islamabad would further improve bilateral relations.

The Pakistani premier, for his part, expressed regret over the recent insecurity in the two countries’ border areas, saying that the Pakistani government will spare no effort to counter elements behind such incidents and will welcome Iran’s measures over the issue.

Sharif also pledged to make every effort to help restore the two countries’ trade ties to its previous level of three billion dollars and even improve on that figure.

Heading a high-ranking delegation, Sharif arrived in Tehran on Sunday for an official two-day visit to hold talks with senior Iranian officials.

RA/SHI