Despite the resumption of war between Iran and the United States, Pakistan, which has played and continues to play a mediating role between the two sides, said it remains optimistic that both parties could return to the negotiating table.
اضافة اعلان
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday and commenting on the US-Iranian strikes, Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi said, “We remain concerned about this escalation, which is undesirable.”
“Engaged in Dialogue”
He stressed that Islamabad would remain engaged in dialogue.
He also reaffirmed that Pakistan remains optimistic that the two sides will return to the negotiating table.
Meanwhile, Andrabi said that a visit by Pakistani Army Chief Asim Munir to Tehran last month generated “significant momentum” regarding the issue of the Strait of Hormuz.
Military Confrontation Resumes
The “optimistic” Pakistani position came as the United States and Iran returned to a state of military confrontation following the largest exchange of fire in weeks, with Washington threatening more destructive strikes.
The US Central Command said it struck targets belonging to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on Tuesday, including air defense systems, radar, naval facilities, mine-laying capabilities and communications sites.
The Revolutionary Guard, for its part, announced that it had targeted US assets in Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait and Iraq, saying that several US troops had been killed. However, two US officials told Reuters that initial assessments indicated there had been no casualties.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard also said it had launched a missile and drone attack on Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, targeting the US commander’s residence and drone facilities.
Kuwaiti firefighting teams, meanwhile, said they had extinguished a fire that broke out at a residential complex in the capital early Wednesday after it was targeted by an Iranian drone. The attack caused material damage but no injuries.
In Qatar, which helped mediate a ceasefire agreement reached last June that quickly collapsed, the Foreign Ministry said the Iranian attacks would further “complicate efforts aimed at containing tensions.” In a statement, it added that Qatar holds “the Islamic Republic of Iran fully legally responsible for these attacks and the resulting repercussions and consequences.”
Qatar and Pakistan had spent months making intensive efforts to persuade Iran and the United States to agree to a ceasefire, which was achieved last June following the signing of an initial memorandum of understanding.
However, the memorandum quickly collapsed amid continuing disputes over the Strait of Hormuz, leading to renewed US strikes in early July, before limited strikes resumed late Sunday and expanded on Tuesday night.
