REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, TEHRAN -- Iran's Foreign Ministry strongly condemned a recent bomb attack in Pakistan that killed several Shiite Muslims, Tasnim news agency reported on Monday (13/1).
"The Islamic Republic of Iran condemns act of terrorism on innocent people and regards it as violation of the teachings of Islam and humanitarian values," Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marizeh Afkham was quoted as saying.
Afkham expressed condolences to the families of the victims, saying that such terrorist incidents clearly play into the hands of the enemies of the Pakistani nation and the Islamic community.
"Undoubtedly, the Pakistani Muslim government and nation will vigilantly foil plots aimed at causing division and insecurity," she added.
A bomb blast hit a Shiite gathering in Pakistan's Rawalpindi on Friday, killing at least eight people and wounding several others.
Meanwhile U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry assured support to Pakistan in his meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in Islamabad, officials said.
Kerry arrived in Islamabad Monday evening on a two-day visit following his trip to India.
He called on the Pakistani prime minister and held the first round of the Strategic Dialogue with Pakistan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
"The United States would continue to support Pakistan in effectively combating terrorism and also addressing various other challenges," Kerry told Sharif.
Kerry extended condolences of the U.S. government and people on last month's tragic Taliban attack on an army-run school in Peshawar that killed 140 children and 10 staff members, a statement from the Prime Minister's Office said.
"Terrorists are the common enemy of the two countries," the statement quoted the U.S. secretary of state as saying.
Sharif said the United States is a vital component of Pakistan' s foreign policy and appreciated U.S. President Obama's message of friendship and cooperation in the aftermath of the Peshawar attack on Dec. 16.
"The prime minister highlighted Pakistan's focus on greater market access for Pakistani products and the U.S. investment in Pakistan for creating job opportunities," the statement said. He expressed the hope that next Business Opportunities Conference to be held in Islamabad in March 2015 will receive good response from U.S. investors.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the first round of discussions under Pakistan-United States Strategic Dialogue was held Monday evening.
The Pakistani delegation was led by Adviser to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, while the U.S. side was led by Kerry.
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