ISLAMABAD: Pakistan opposes any external interference in Iran’s internal affairs and urges all sides to exercise restraint, its permanent representative to the United Nations (UN) said on Thursday, calling for a peaceful de-escalation of United States-Tehran tensions to ensure regional stability.
The development comes as Iran’s leadership seeks to quell the worst domestic unrest since its 1979 revolution, with a rights group putting the death toll over 2,600. As the protests over high costs of living swell, US President Donald Trump has threatened to intervene on behalf of anti-government protesters.
Top officials from Egypt, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have raised concerns in the last 48 hours that a US military intervention would shake the global economy and destabilize an already volatile region, AP reported, citing an Arab diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the sensitive conversations.
Speaking at a UN Security Council briefing, Pakistan’s permanent representative Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said Islamabad has been carefully observing developments in Iran and the region in recent days, voicing concern over “new threats to regional peace and stability.”
“The UN Charter prohibits threat or use of force against other States’ territorial integrity or independence, or to interfere in matters essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of states. Any external interference in the domestic affairs of states is inconsistent with international law and principles of the UN Charter,” he said.
“We strongly believe that all disputes must be resolved through peaceful means and in accordance with international law. Continued hostilities, use of force and unilateral actions will only take us further away from the resolution of core issues and cause unnecessary humanitarian suffering. The threat or use of force would only aggravate the situation and undermine regional and international peace and stability.”
After weeks of escalating tension, US and Iranian officials faced each other Thursday at the Security Council, where America’s envoy renewed threats against the Islamic Republic. The US was joined by Iranian dissidents in rebuking the government’s bloody crackdown on nationwide protests that activists say have killed at least 2,677 people.
By Thursday, the protests challenging Iran’s theocracy appeared increasingly smothered, but the state-ordered Internet and communication blackout remained.
During the meeting, Hossein Darzi, the deputy Iranian ambassador to the UN, blasted the US for what he claimed was America’s “direct involvement in steering unrest in Iran to violence.”
“Under the hollow pretext of concern for the Iranian people and claims of support for human rights, the United States is attempting to portray itself as a friend of the Iranian people, while simultaneously laying the groundwork for political destabilization and military intervention under a so-called ′humanitarian′ narrative,” Darzi said.
Ahmad said Iran is an immediate neighbor of Pakistan and a brotherly country. The people of our two nations share deep-rooted historical, friendly, cultural and religious bonds.
“We sincerely hope that the situation in Iran will soon return to calm and normalcy, free from any internal turmoil or external pressure, and all relevant parties will return to the negotiating table to find a lasting solution to their differences, based on mutual respect and understanding,” he added.
