Dubai: Concerned over Indo-Pak tensions, Iran has said that it hoped the two South Asian neighbours would channel their energies to the progress of their countries and the region.

New Delhi and Islamabad should also try to maintain peace and security in neighbouring Afghanistan, Iranian President Mohammad Khatami said during a meeting with visiting Pakistani Interior Minister Moinuddin Haider on September 3.

Haider also briefed Khatami about the latest developments on tensions between India and Pakistan, the official Iranian news agency IRNA reported.

During the meeting, Khatami sought help from Pakistan in curbing inter-state drug smuggling, a serious problem costing Iran $ 800 million per year to tackle it.

Iran accounts for 80 per cent of the opium and 90 per cent of the morphine intercepted in the world, according to the International Narcotics Control Board.

Khatami also called for co-operation between Tehran and Islamabad in implementing various scientific projects.

Haider handed over to Khatami a message from President Pervez Musharraf and reiterated Musharraf's invitation to his Iranian counterpart to visit Pakistan.

Haidar, who arrived in Tehran on September 3 on a five-day official visit, assured Khatami that Pakistani government has controlled sectarian violence in country which, he said, has caused concerns in Iran about bilateral relations.

PTI