{"id":49675,"date":"2024-01-19T05:33:03","date_gmt":"2024-01-19T05:33:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/world-leaders-urge-restraint-after-cross-border-conflagration-the-express-tribune\/"},"modified":"2024-01-19T05:33:03","modified_gmt":"2024-01-19T05:33:03","slug":"world-leaders-urge-restraint-after-cross-border-conflagration-the-express-tribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/world-leaders-urge-restraint-after-cross-border-conflagration-the-express-tribune\/","title":{"rendered":"World leaders urge restraint after cross-border conflagration | The Express Tribune"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\nWASHINGTON:
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Several world leaders urged both Iran and Pakistan to show restraint in the wake of drone strikes inside each other\u2019s territories, with White House warning against any escalation, and the United Nations and the European Union (EU) expressing concerns over the wider impact on the whole region.<\/p>\n

Pakistan launched strikes on terrorist hideout inside the Sistan-Baluchestan province of Iran on Thursday, in a retaliatory attack two days after Tehran said it struck the bases of a militant group in the Panjgur district of Balochistan.<\/p>\n

US President Joe Biden told reporters at the White House that air strikes by Pakistan and Iran on each other\u2019s territory showed Tehran was not \u201cwell-liked in the region\u201d, adding that Washington was now trying to understand how the situation would develop. \u201cI don\u2019t know where that goes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the United States was monitoring the situation \u201cvery, very closely\u201d, adding: \u201cThese are two well-armed nations and again we don\u2019t want to see an escalation of any armed conflict in the region, certainly between those two countries.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read\u00a0<\/strong>Pakistan-Iran ties at a crossroads after deadly strikes<\/a><\/p>\n

Kirby told journalists aboard Air Force One that Washington was in touch with Pakistani officials. \u201cThey were struck first by Iran, which was obviously another reckless attack, another example of Iran\u2019s destabilising behaviour in the region,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Kirby also said that he was \u201cnot aware\u201d that Islamabad had notified Washington before striking Iran. He would not comment when asked if the United States would provide support for Pakistan, which is a major non-NATO ally.<\/p>\n

The State Department also urged restraint by all sides. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said that Pakistan\u2019s statements about the importance of cooperative relations with neighbours were productive and useful.<\/p>\n

On Wednesday, Miller had condemned the Iranian strikes inside Pakistan, Iraq and Syria. \u201cSo we do condemn those strikes. We\u2019ve seen Iran violate the sovereign borders of three of its neighbours in just the past couple of days,\u201d Miller told his regular media briefing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it is a little rich for, on one hand, Iran to be the leading funder of terrorism in the region, the leading funder of instability in the region, and on the other hand, claimed that it needs to take these actions to counter terrorism,\u201d Miller added.<\/p>\n

Read\u00a0<\/strong>China urges Iran, Pakistan to ‘exercise restraint’ after deadly air strike<\/a><\/p>\n

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Iran and Pakistan to \u201cexercise maximum restraint to avoid a further escalation of tensions\u201d, his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said at a media briefing at the UN.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Secretary-General underlines that all security concerns between the two countries must be addressed by peaceful means, through dialogue and cooperation, in accordance with the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity, and good neighbourly relations,\u201d Dujarric said.<\/p>\n

In Brussels, EU spokesperson Peter Stano said the continental bloc was deeply worried about the \u201cspiral of violence\u201d in the Middle East and beyond. \u201cThese attacks\u2026 violate the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries, and have also a destabilising effect on the region.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Kabul, the Taliban foreign ministry called on both Iran and Pakistan to exercise restraint. The ministry, in a statement, stressed that both Tehran and Islamabad should resolve disputed issues through diplomacy and dialogue.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n