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China calls for the neighbours to exercise “calm and restraint”, US pins the blame on Iran while India stays neutral.
Pakistan on Thursday struck terrorist hideouts in Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan province, less than 48 hours after Iran violated its airspace.
According to Iran’s news agency IRNA, the strikes saw nine people killed, including four children, three women and two men.
Pakistan’s response came two days after Iran conducted strikes against what it described as “terrorist” targets in Pakistan, killing at least two children.
Several global powers and regional stakeholders have reacted to the development, with most urging the neighbours to opt for dialogue instead of letting the situation deteriorate further.
China
Beijing called for “calm and restraint”, and offered to mediate between the two countries.
“The Chinese side sincerely hopes that the two sides can exercise calm and restraint and avoid an escalation of tension,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a regular press conference, adding: “We are also willing to play a constructive role in de-escalating the situation if both sides so wish. “
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson reiterated that it hoped for both parties to resolve their disputes through consultations and dialogue.
United States
The United States, which rarely sees eye to eye with Tehran, condemned the Iranian strikes in Pakistan, as well as Iraq and Syria.
“So we do condemn those strikes. We’ve seen Iran violate the sovereign borders of three of its neighbours in just the past couple of days,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement released before Pakistan’s counter strikes were carried out.
“I think it is a little rich for, on one hand, Iran to be the leading funder of terrorism in the region, the leading funder of instability in the region, and on the other hand, claimed that it needs to take these actions to counter terrorism,” the spokesman added.
India
India’s official spokesperson Shri Randhir Jaiswal was neutral in his remarks, saying: “This is a matter between Iran and Pakistan.
“Insofar as India is concerned, we have an uncompromising position of zero tolerance towards terrorism. We understand actions that countries take in their self defense.”
Turkiye
Turkiye’s foreign ministry called for Iran, Iraq and Pakistan to show “restraint and common sense”.
“We believe the problems should be resolved with an understanding of friendship and brotherhood, based on mutual respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the countries,” the ministry said in a statement.
Additionally, after holding phone calls with counterparts from both the countries, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that neither wants to escalate tensions in the region.
During a press conference in Jordan, Fidan said Turkey had told both Iran and Pakistan to restore calm as soon as possible.
Afghanistan
The Taliban foreign ministry, in a statement, said that the two neighbouring countries “should resolve disputed issues through diplomacy and dialogue”.
Additional input from AFP and Reuters
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