Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan has stressed Tehran's capabilities to turn into the economic power in the region expressing hope that the sanctions against Tehran will be lifted soon.

At a recent meeting with top Pakistani media figures and researchers, Imran Khan lamented the impact of the US sanctions on Iran, which were imposed after President Donald Trump withdrew from the historic Iran nuclear agreement in May 2018.

He said the bans have hampered the development of trade ties between Pakistan and Iran, IRNA reported on Monday.

The Pakistani prime minister has on several occasions called for the lifting of US sanctions on Iran.

In March 2020, he urged Trump to lift the unilateral bans, in the midst of Iran’s fight against the spread of the coronavirus, until the pandemic is over.

“I want to appeal to President Trump on humanitarian grounds to lift the sanctions against Iran till the COVID19 pandemic is over,” Khan said.

He added that at a time when “the people of Iran are facing untold suffering” the brutal US sanctions on the Islamic Republic “are crippling Iran’s efforts to fight COVID-19.”

During the meeting, Khan said a good understanding has been established in recent years to expand Pakistan’s relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran.

“At the time of the start of the Movement for Justice government, bilateral relations with Iran may not have been satisfactory, but today I can say that there are excellent relations between the two countries,” Khan said when asked to comment on his administration’s foreign policy and relations with neighboring countries.

Iran and Pakistan enjoy cultural, religious and political relations in addition to close cooperation in security and economic sectors.

Last month, the two states opened a border crossing point to bolster their bilateral economic and trade ties.

The Rimadan-Gabd border gateway was officially opened on December 19, becoming the second border crossing between Iran and Pakistan.

“The construction of this border gateway between the two friendly and neighboring states and the recent inauguration of Khaf-Herat railway project show that the Islamic Republic of Iran attaches special priority to interaction and cooperation with its neighbors,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said before the inauguration ceremony.