UN chief urges Iran, Pakistan to exercise maximum restraint after strikes on suspected militants

By Servet Gunerigok

WASHINGTON (AA) - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Iran and Pakistan to exercise maximum restraint Thursday after the two neighbors launched airstrikes against "terrorists" in each other’s territory.

UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Guterres "is very concerned about the escalation" between the two nations.

"We've seen reports of casualties on both sides. Again he urges both countries to exercise maximum restraint, avoid any further escalation," Dujarric told reporters.

He said any security issues concerning Iran and Pakistan "must be addressed through peaceful means, through dialogue, through cooperation, and again in accordance with the principles of sovereignty, national integrity and good neighborly relations."

"We are seeing heightened tensions grow in that region and that is something that is a worry," Dujarric added.

Islamabad said Thursday it launched precision strikes against separatist terrorists in Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan province, two days after Tehran struck what it described as bases for the Jaish al-Adl militant group in the border town of Panjgur in Pakistan’s Balochistan province.