The US, on Thursday (local time), avoided answering a question regarding whether Pakistan had engaged in prior consultations with Washington before carrying out retaliatory air strikes on Iran.
In response to media reports suggesting that Pakistan consulted with the US before conducting the strikes in Iran, State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller, during a routine press briefing in Washington, stated, “I do not have any private conversations to read out."
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Miller said, “The US is concerned about the escalating tensions in the region and has urged restraint on all sides."
He stressed there is no need for escalation in the matter and that the country has noted the Pakistani government's comments about the importance of “cooperative relations between Pakistan and its neighbours."
In response to a question on how the US administration reads the situation between Iran and Pakistan, Miller said, “We are concerned about escalating tensions in the region. It's been something we have spoken a number of times, we've focused on. We've been incredibly concerned about the potential for escalation since October 7."
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“That's why we have engaged in intense diplomatic efforts to try to prevent escalation. We noted the comments from the government of Pakistan, about the importance of cooperative relations between Pakistan and its neighbours. We thought those were productive useful statements, and certainly, there's no need for escalation and we would urge restraint on all sides in this case," he added.
Matthew Miller referred to Iran as a major funder of Hezbollah and a principal supporter of Hamas for years. Regarding the ongoing tensions between Iran and Pakistan after strikes and counterstrikes, Miller said, “I think I made pretty clear yesterday what we think about Iran's attacks, not just the strikes that were launched in the past three days against three of its neighbours but its long history of funding terrorism, funding instability and sowing discord in the Middle East. That's something we have seen contribute to conflict in Gaza."
Iran's airstrikes in Pakistan followed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launching missiles into Iraq's Kurdistan region, targeting what they referred to as an Israeli “spy headquarters" and alleged ISIS-linked targets in Syria, as reported by Al Arabiya News.
Subsequently, Pakistan responded with missile strikes into Iran, naming the operation 'Marg Bar Sarmachar.'
Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) in a statement said it had undertaken a series of “highly coordinated and specifically targeted precision military strikes against terrorist hideouts" in the Siestan-o-Baluchistan province of Iran.
“A number of terrorists were killed during the intelligence-based operation codenamed ‘Marg Bar Sarmachar’," it said.
Meanwhile, US State Department spokesperson Miller said, “You have seen Iran as the principal supporter of Hamas for years. They are the major funder of Hezbollah. They are one of the major funders of the Houthis. We have seen the consequences of the actions that Iran has taken to add to regional instability and that's why we continue to take actions to hold Iran accountable and also send clear messages to Iran that we don't believe this should escalate in any way, shape or form."
Meanwhile, on Thursday, the US initiated fresh strikes against Houthi anti-ship missiles directed at the Red Sea, heightening concerns about disruptions in the region's sea lanes, impacting global trade, and triggering apprehensions of supply bottlenecks that could potentially reignite inflation.
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“Pakistan is a major non-NATO ally of the United States, and that will remain the case, but we would urge restraint in this case. We do not want to see escalation and don't think there's a need for escalation," he added.
Earlier on Thursday, US President Joe Biden remarked on Thursday that the air strikes conducted by Pakistan and Iran on each other's territory indicated that Tehran was not "well-liked." The White House, in response, cautioned against any further escalation in the situation.
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“As you can see, Iran is not particularly ‘well-liked’ in the region," Biden told reporters at the White House when asked about the clashes, adding, “The United States was now trying to understand how the Iran-Pakistan situation would develop."
He noted, “Where that goes we're working on now -- I don't know where that goes."
US National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the White House, John Kirby, said the US is monitoring the situation regarding Iran and Pakistan “very very closely" and they do not want to see escalation.
(With inputs from agencies)
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