In a joint statement, Iran and Pakistan called on the UN Security Council to take action against Israel, saying it had “unlawfully” attacked neighboring countries and foreign diplomatic facilities, Reuters reported.
The joint statement, published today by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, came against the backdrop of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s three-day visit to the country at a time of heightened tension in the Middle East region, BTA reported.
Last Friday, explosions were heard over the Iranian city of Isfahan, which sources said were the result of an Israeli attack. However, Tehran downplayed the incident and said it was not planning any retaliation.
“Recognizing that the irresponsible act of the Israeli regime’s forces represents a serious escalation in an already unstable region, both sides called on the UN Security Council to prevent the adventurism of the Israeli regime in the region and its illegal actions to attack its neighbors…” , the two sides said in a joint statement.
Muslim neighbors Iran and Pakistan have been trying to mend relations since an unprecedented exchange of military strikes earlier this year.
Raisi, who ended his visit to the country today and left for Sri Lanka, promised to increase the trade turnover between Iran and Pakistan to 10 billion dollars annually.
During his visit to Pakistan, Raisi was quoted by Iran’s IRNA news agency as saying that any further Israeli attack on Iranian territory could radically change the dynamic and lead to nothing left of the “Zionist regime”.
On April 13, Tehran fired missiles and directed drones at Israel in response to an alleged deadly Israeli strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus on April 1, but almost all were shot down by Israeli air defenses.
Earlier, Pakistan called for de-escalation from “all sides”.
During Raisi’s visit, Iran and Pakistan pledged to boost trade and energy cooperation, including on a major gas pipeline deal that has been delayed by geopolitical concerns and international sanctions.
