Pakistan, Iran indicate de-escalation after row over airstrikes

​​​​​By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD (AA) – Senior Pakistani and Iranian diplomats on Friday indicated a de-escalation after the two neighbors launched airstrikes against "terrorists" in each other’s territory.

Amid de-escalation efforts since Thursday evening, it is expected that the two countries’ top diplomats will speak later on Friday, a senior Pakistani official told Anadolu on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media.

"Pakistan already publicly conveyed that Islamabad has no intention to escalate tension with Iran and today our Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani is expected to speak with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian," he said.

He was referring to a statement on Thursday by Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, saying: “Pakistan considers the people of Iran as our friends and brothers and we have no interest in escalating any situation.”

Later, Seyed Rasoul Mousavi, a senior Iranian diplomat, said: “Leaders and high officials of both countries know that only terrorists and enemies of both countries benefit from the existing tension between the two neighboring countries."

Responding to Mousavi on X, Pakistan’s Additional Foreign Secretary for Afghanistan and West Asia Rahim Hayat Qureshi said both countries should move forward and resolve all issues through positive dialogue.

"I reciprocate your sentiments dear brother (Seyed Rasoul Mousavi) & have fraternal relations & shall move forward to resolve all issues through positive dialogue. It is important to restore trust & confidence that has always defined our bilaterals (bilateral relations). Our common challenges incl terrorism require coordinating action," he wrote.

Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Baloch also welcomed the diplomats’ discussion on social media as "positive exchanges."

- Stood together ‘through thick and thin’

On Friday, Pakistan's Ambassador to Iran Muhammad Mudassir also indicated that both sides are moving forward and said his country resolutely stands for its values to promote peace, stability, and development.

"Pakistan has always stood by Iran through thick & thin. Co-operation & mutual trust between two brotherly countries, in a complex regional environment, is critical for peace & stability," he said on X.

On Thursday, Pakistan said it undertook a series of "highly coordinated and specifically targeted precision military strikes" against “terrorist hideouts” in Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan province, killing a number of terrorists.

The move came after Iran on Tuesday launched attacks in Pakistan targeting what it described as bases for the militant group Jaish al-Adl in the border town of Panjgur in Balochistan, prompting strong condemnation from Islamabad.

Pakistan also recalled its ambassador and suspended high-level visits with Tehran.