TEHRAN -- Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi plans to visit Pakistan and India this week as part of Tehran’s ongoing consultations with regional countries, the Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Saturday. 
Esmaeil Baghaei said Araghchi will arrive in Pakistan on Monday to hold consultations with high-ranking Pakistani officials.
The talks will focus on enhancing bilateral relations and addressing the latest developments at the regional and international levels, he said. 
Baghaei also confirmed that the top diplomat will pay an official visit to India later in the week.
The planned visits will come amid heightened tensions between the two nuclear-armed countries over the April 22 terrorist attack in the Indian-administered Kashmir, which claimed the lives of 26 people.
India has blamed Pakistan for the attack, but Pakistan has rejected the accusations.
In a telephone conversation with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 26, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian condemned the attack and stressed the need for a joint fight against terrorism.
In a separate phone call with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the same day, Pezeshkian expressed deep concern over the rising tensions between India and Pakistan in the wake of the attack.
The Iranian foreign minister also held a p6hone conversation with Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Muhammad Ishaq Dar, on April 26, during which he voiced Tehran’s readiness to help ease tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad.
Pakistan test fired a ballistic missile Saturday as tensions with India spiked over the deadly attack.
The surface-to-surface missile has a range of 450 kilometers (about 280 miles), the Pakistani military said. There was no immediate comment about the launch from India, which blames Pakistan for the April 22 gun massacre in the resort town of Pahalgam, a charge Pakistan denies.
Pakistan’s military said the launch of the Abdali Weapon System was aimed at ensuring 
the “operational readiness of troops and validating key technical parameters,” including the missile’s advanced navigation system and enhanced maneuverability features.
The two countries have fought two of their three wars over the stunning Himalayan region and their ties have been shaped by conflict, aggressive diplomacy and mutual suspicion, mostly due to their competing claims over Kashmir.