India and Iran delivered a stern message to Pakistan when External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj made a brief stopover in Tehran yesterday, days after both countries lost soldiers to attacks carried out by terrorists operating from Pakistani soil. Mrs Swaraj met Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Aragchchi while enroute to Bulgaria as part of her three-nation tour.

In a tweet, Mr Araghchi said, Iran and India suffered from two heinous terrorist attacks recently which resulted in big casualties. He said, both leaders agreed on close cooperation to combat terrorism in the region.

While India lost 40 CRPF jawans to a terror attack carried out by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama on Thursday, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards has accused Pakistan’s security forces of supporting the perpetrators of a suicide bombing that killed 27 of its troops on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Iran today summoned the Pakistani ambassador to the country over deadly terror attack on their security forces. In a statement, Foreign Ministry said, the Islamic Republic of Iran expects Pakistan government and army to seriously confront the terrorist groups active on its border with Iran.

The Ministry called on Pakistan to quickly take the necessary steps for the identification and arrest of the attack’s perpetrators.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari yesterday blamed Pakistan’s army and Inter-Services Intelligence agency, saying that sheltering and silence amounts to supporting the perpetrators. He warned if Pakistan government does not take action against these terrorists, Iran will retaliate and Islamabad will bear the consequences.