Pakistan and Iran have agreed to expand their bilateral trade to $10bn “at the earliest,” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced in a joint statement with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

The commitment was made as the two countries signed 12 agreements and memoranda of understanding (MoUs) aimed at deepening economic cooperation. “Both sides signed several documents to be turned into formal agreements, with delegations set to hold further talks to realise the $10bn trade target,” the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan reported.

Earlier, during bilateral talks, the two leaders reviewed political, economic, cultural, and religious ties and agreed on measures to strengthen them further.

At the joint press briefing, Sharif also condemned Israel’s June 13 strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, which Tehran says killed 610 people.

President Asif Ali Zardari also hosted his Iranian counterpart at Aiwan-e-Sadr Sunday during the latter’s two-day visit to Pakistan.

According to an official statement, the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to broaden collaboration across diverse fields and stressed the need to further strengthen bilateral relations in mutually beneficial areas.