Pakistan’s Zardari in Tehran to Meet with Iranian Leaders

Posted July 16th, 2011 at 12:35 pm (UTC-5)
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Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari has arrived in Tehran for talks with high-level Iranian officials, including President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

President Zardari's arrival Saturday comes less than a month after he and his Iranian counterpart met together in Afghanistan on the sidelines of an anti-terrorism conference.

While there, the two leaders discussed a range of bilateral issues, including the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project.

President Zardari's visit to Iran also comes as relations between Islamabad and Washington remain low, following the covert U.S. raid deep into Pakistan to kill al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in May.

The United States recently suspended $800 million to Pakistan, which is about a third of its military assistance to its partner in the war on terror. The decision to suspend aid came after Pakistan ousted U.S. personnel in the aftermath of the bin Laden raid. The U.S. personnel reportedly were to train Pakistani forces.