D-8 Secretary-General Sohail Mahmood pays official visit to Iran, attends Khamenei tribute ceremony

Ambassador Sohail Mahmood, Secretary-General of the Developing-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation (D-8), paid an official visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran from 2-4 July to attend the "Farewell and Tribute Ceremony" held in honour of Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei. He was accompanied by Executive Assistant Muhammad Bilal Khan.On behalf of the D-8 Organization, Mahmood conveyed condolences to Iran's leadership, government and people, praying for the departed soul and for the bereaved family and Iranian people to find solace and strength. He also signed the Condolence Book during the ceremony, which was organized for foreign dignitaries.

During his stay in Tehran, the Secretary-General held a bilateral meeting with Foreign Minister Dr. Seyed Abbas Araghchi, discussing the long-standing partnership between the D-8 Secretariat and Iran, regional developments, the bloc's strategic priorities and preparations for the next phase of D-8 cooperation.

Mahmood reaffirmed solidarity with the Iranian people and wished success for the country's leadership in efforts toward durable peace, progress and prosperity. He also briefed Araghchi on recent progress across various tracks of D-8 cooperation and outlined the organization's current profile and future direction.

Araghchi thanked Mahmood for attending the tribute ceremony and underlined Iran's national resolve and commitment to peace through dialogue and diplomacy, while stressing the importance of enhanced economic cooperation amid the region's changing landscape. He reaffirmed Iran's commitment to the D-8 as a founding member and pledged continued substantial contributions to the organization's agenda. Both sides discussed new opportunities for increased trade, investment, energy cooperation, and hard and soft connectivity arising from ongoing regional transformation.

The Secretary-General also held separate meetings with Deputy Foreign Minister and President of the Institute for Political and International Studies (IPIS) Dr. Saeed Khatibzadeh, and with Iran's D-8 Commissioner Ambassador Alireza Tootoonchian. Those discussions focused on strengthening policy dialogue, deepening D-8 collaboration under the Decennial Roadmap 2020-2030, and enhancing the organization's institutional capacity and international visibility.

Throughout his engagements in Tehran, Mahmood emphasized that the D-8 is entering a new phase of strategic transformation centered on closer economic integration, trade and investment promotion, industrial cooperation, innovation, technology, energy security, sustainable development and people-centered growth. He noted that Iran's industrial capabilities, technological expertise, manufacturing capacity and strategic position would remain valuable to advancing the D-8's collective objectives.

The visit reinforced the partnership between the D-8 Secretariat and Iran, with both sides highlighting shared determination to support the organization's institutional capacity-building and deepen economic cooperation as the D-8 approaches its 30th anniversary since its founding in 1997.