Iran and Pakistan are expected to sign a free trade agreement (FTA) within the next six months, says a senior Pakistani government official, amid efforts by the two neighbors to boost their bilateral trade.
Pakistan’s Minister for Commerce Naveed Qamar said on Thursday that Pakistan and Iran will in the next few months give a final shape to an FTA that aims to promote the value of bilateral trade between the two neighbors to up to $4 billion per year.
Iran and Pakistan are currently on a preferential trade arrangement under which the two countries have sought to reduce some trade barriers and tariffs.
Qamar was quoted as saying by the Associated Press of Pakistan that Islamabad and Tehran will, in the meantime, exchange trade lists for various sectors of their economies while trying to further reduce tariffs on exports and imports to reach a reasonable framework for signing an FTA.
The minister made the comments while attending the 21st Session of Pak-Iran Joint Economic Commission (JEC) in Islamabad where Iran’s Minister for Roads and Urban Development Rostam Ghasemi was also attending.
Qassemi leads a senior delegation of Iranian government officials and business representatives during his trip to Pakistan.
The minister said on Wednesday that the decision by Iran and Pakistan to hold the JEC meeting after a five-year hiatus showed the two countries were determined to boost their economic ties.
The APP said Iran and Pakistan signed four major cooperation documents during the JEC meeting in Islamabad on Thursday. The agreements will cover cooperation between the two countries on maritime issues as well as on media, tourism and ties between their national museums.
PressTV
US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is preparing to leave the Trump administration after what a new report has described as months of tension with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, potentially triggering another change at the army’s top echelons.
According to the Friday report by The Wall Street Journal, Driscoll is expected to step down before the end of the year and could leave his post earlier. The newspaper cited people familiar with discussions over his departure.
The Journal reported that Driscoll and his family vacated the official residence assigned to the army secretary at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall this summer, a move that could indicate he was preparing to leave the position.
The reported departure would come at a time of continuing uncertainty at the top echelons of the army.
Hegseth abruptly removed Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George in April, while Trump has not yet nominated a permanent successo....more below
...
The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) warns the enemies that any act of aggression against the Islamic Republic will not go unanswered.
In a statement on Thursday, the IRGC issued a “stern warning” to the enemies after US forces launched strikes against the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas.
Following the US military attack on a point on the outskirts of Bandar Abbas Airport with aerial projectiles, the IRGC carried out new strikes targeting the US air base from which the attack originated in the wee hours of Thursday, it added.
“This response is a serious warning to the enemy that they should know the act of aggression will not go unanswered,” the IRGC emphasized.
The elite military force warned of a “more decisive” response if the enemy repeated any act of aggression.
It also said the responsibility for the consequences of any IRGC response lies with the aggressor.
The statement comes after the IRGC Navy on Thursday forced an American tanker to turn back. The tanker ...
