WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday called on India and Pakistan to “exercise restraint” amid soaring tensions between the two nuclear-armed countries while urging Islamabad to take action against militants.
“We encourage India and Pakistan to exercise restraint, and avoid escalation at any cost,” Pompeo said in a statement after speaking with his counterparts from both countries.
Pompeo said that in talks with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, he stressed “the priority of de-escalating current tensions by avoiding military action, and the urgency of Pakistan taking meaningful action against terrorist groups operating on its soil.”
India said Tuesday that it launched strikes against militant camps in Pakistan — New Delhi’s first use of air strikes on its neighbor’s territory since the two countries went to war in 1971.
Pakistan, while confirming the incursion, denied India’s claim that the attack had inflicted major damage and casualties on militants.
The Tuesday air raid came after India threatened retaliation over the February 14 suicide bombing, claimed by the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) group, that killed 40 Indian troops in the Kashmir region.
US urges India, Pakistan to ‘exercise restraint’ — Pompeo
US urges India, Pakistan to ‘exercise restraint’ — Pompeo
- Avoid escalation at any cost, Says Pompeo
- US Secretary of State spoke with his Pakistani and India counterparts
Pakistan says it engaged Iran, Saudi Arabia to limit Gulf escalation after US-Israel attacks
- Deputy PM Ishaq Dar says he reminded Iranian leadership about Pakistan’s defense pact with Saudi Arabia
- Saudi Arabia confirmed Iran launched attacks in Kingdom’s Riyadh, Eastern Province regions on Saturday
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said on Tuesday that Islamabad had mediated between Saudi Arabia and Iran to reduce tensions amid escalating tensions due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Tensions in the Gulf skyrocketed on Saturday following coordinated strikes by the US and Israel against Iran, diminishing prospects of a peaceful settlement to Tehran’s long-running dispute with Western countries and Tel Aviv around its nuclear program.
Iran subsequently targeted American military bases in Gulf states, including the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Jordan, prompting their governments to issue condemnations. Saudi Arabia also confirmed Iran launched attacks in Riyadh and the Eastern Province, saying they were successfully intercepted.
Dar, who also serves as foreign minister, told members of the National Assembly during a televised session that he reminded Iran about Pakistan’s Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement with Saudi Arabia when carried out strikes against Gulf nations. The pact, signed last year in September between Islamabad and Riyadh, states that aggression on one would be considered an attack against both.
He said the Iranian leadership sought assurances from Saudi Arabia that its soil would not be used against Iran. The Pakistani minister said he conveyed those assurances from Riyadh to Tehran.
“So, by the grace of god, you saw that what appears to be a minimum reaction at this point, has not been directed against Saudi Arabia and Oman,” Dar said.
He said Iran carried out strikes against other Middle Eastern countries such as Jordan, Kuwait, UAE, Qatar and Bahrain. Dar added that these were sovereign countries and not bound to heed Pakistan’s advice.
“I am grateful that they [Iran] understood my point and the assurance they sought was obtained and delivered by us accordingly,” he said.
Speaking about Islamabad’s efforts to defuse tensions between Iran and the US, Dar said he took up Iran’s nuclear program with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio during their meeting in July last year.
The Pakistani minister said Iran’s response was also “positive” on Washington’s demands to not pursue nuclear weapons, adding that Pakistan held talks with Iranian officials during President Masoud Pezeshkian’s visit to Islamabad in August 2025.
Dar said Pakistan had immediately condemned US-Israel attacks against Iran when they took place on Saturday, adding that he was directly in contact with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi via WhatsApp.
“We don’t need the longer routes of the foreign office,” he said. “We just message each other, we just talk to each other as soon as we see the messages.”
He said Islamabad would continue its efforts to de-escalate tensions between Washington and Tehran as regional tensions escalate.
