NEW DELHI: Pakistan and Iran are to collaborate in forming an “Islamic defense line” in the region.

This was disclosed by Iranian Revolutionary Guards Minister Ali Shamkhani on his return to Teheran after an official visit to Pakistan.

“Iran in collaboration with Pakistan will form an important part of the Islamic defence line in the region,” Muslim a Pakistani daily reported.

Immediately after his return home, the Iranian Minister told a news conference that his delegations talks with Pakistani civil and military officials were successful.

All the goals which the Iranian authorities had set before the visit to Pakistan have been achieved, Mr. Shamkhani said,

The results of the talks would emerge in the near future in mutual and defense relations, he was quoted as having said.

The Minister however, did not elaborate further on the “Islamic defense line” proposal and who would be the other collaborators.

The report also lacked details about the enhanced defense relations between the two countries.

Reports on the Pakistan Iranian defense connection have been appearing in defense publications frequently.

Although both Iran and Pakistan subsequently denied it, it was reported last year that the two Islamic countries were building a secret nuclear center at Qazvin in Tran.

The report claimed that the nuclear center would have an enrichment plant for uranium.

It was said that the nuclear center, besides aiding Pakistan’s quest for nuclear weapons, would also make available one to the Iranians.

Under the scheme codenamed “110” it was proposed to exploit the “big” uranium deposits discovered in southern Iran in 1987.

A report in the Pakistani newspaper Nation late last year said the Iranian Pakistani partnership in the nuclear field apparently had a large number of unknown provisions,

The report claimed that the Iranian leaders decided to revive the country’s military nuclear programme in December 1987 following setbacks in the war with Iraq.

The newspapers also said that Argentina nuclear scientists had been working on a nuclear PowerStation at Bushehr in Iran since mid1985.

Pakistan was apparently hoping to circumvent Western curbs on exchanges of nuclear technology through the Argentina connection it was claimed.

Article extracted from this publication >>  March 10, 1989