TEHRAN - Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said Wednesday that both Iran and Pakistan believed that the "terrorist" groups operating along the common border have close relations with Israel, according to Iran's official news agency IRNA.
He made the remarks in an address to reporters at the end of his visit to Islamabad, while highlighting the joint determination of Iran and Pakistan to counter terrorism, the report said.
Araghchi noted that Israel launched airstrikes against Iran on Oct 26, and "terrorist" groups, on the same day, killed 10 members of Iran's law enforcement forces in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan, indicating the close link and coordination between Israel and "terrorists".
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Bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan, Sistan and Baluchestan province has witnessed several terrorist attacks on both civilians and security forces over the past years.
Araghchi stressed that during his trip, Iran and Pakistan decided to intensify joint actions against those "terrorist" groups. The two sides also agreed that Israeli attacks and "crimes" against the Gaza Strip and Lebanon had to stop, he added.
Araghchi arrived in Pakistan Monday night for high-level talks on bilateral relations and regional issues.
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On Oct 26, the Israel Defense Forces announced that it had conducted "precise and targeted" airstrikes on sites in Iran in response to recent attacks from the country. Iran said it successfully countered the Israeli attacks, which resulted in only "limited damage".
On the same day, Iran's police said 10 members of the country's law enforcement forces were killed in a "terrorist" attack in Taftan County of Sistan and Baluchestan earlier in the day.
Jaish al-Zulm, designated as a terrorist entity by Iran, has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Araghchi on Wednesday also had a phone call with his Finnish counterpart Elina Valtonen, blaming the crisis in West Asia on Israel's "warmongering and genocide", according to a statement released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
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He slammed certain European countries for their "paradoxical and contradictory" approaches towards Israeli "crimes" in the region, regretting that no effective action has been taken by the European Union to counter Israel's law violations and crimes in its ongoing offensives against Palestine and Lebanon.
Valtonen expressed concern about the humanitarian disasters in West Asia, hoping that peace and stability would be restored to the region as soon as possible.
The Finnish foreign minister added that stopping the violence required the continuation of talks and consultations among all parties.
