Pakistan urges restraint after fresh US-Iran hostilities, says renewed conflict in 'no one's interest'

Pakistan urged restraint from both sides on Wednesday after a fresh round of hostilities between the United States and Iran threatened to undo weeks of efforts to achieve peace through the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). 

The interim ceasefire agreement signed between Washington and Tehran — under the mediation of Pakistan — was intended to provide a 60-day window for negotiations on a permanent agreement, but indirect talks in Qatar ended last week with no sign of headway and the US military unleashed a new wave of strikes against Iran on Tuesday.

Iran subsequently said it had targeted US military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait and that it had shot down a US MQ-9 drone attempting to interfere in the operation. Bahrain's army ​later said it had thwarted Iranian attacks. Trump has since threatened a new volley of attacks tonight. 

In a response issued today on the situation, the Foreign Office (FO) said: "Pakistan expresses its deep concern at the escalation in tensions in the region. A renewed conflict is in no one’s interest. Pakistan calls on all parties to exercise restraint and refrain from any actions that may further undermine regional peace and stability. There is no alternative to continued engagement, dialogue and diplomacy to achieve shared goal of peace in the region."

The FO Pakistan urged all sides to uphold their respective commitments under the Islamabad MoU, which it said remained an "enduring foundation for understanding, mutual respect and shared prosperity for the region and beyond".

It added that Pakistan remained ready to continue playing its role in this regard.