The US has reacted on the escalating tensions between Iran and Pakistan and has urged restraint on all sides.

Washington, DC: The United States on Thursday (local time) expressed its concerns over the escalating tensions between Iran and Pakistan following Iran’s missile strikes in Balochistan on Wednesday. US State Department of State Matthew Miller clarified Washington’s stance, stating that his country has urged restraint on all sides. He emphasised that there is no need for escalation in the matter. While addressing a press briefing, Miller asserted that the US has taken note of the Pakistani government’s recent remarks about the importance of ‘cooperative relations between Pakistan and its neighbors.

Responding to question on how the US administration see the situation between both the countries, Miller stated that the Washington is concerned about the escalating tensions in the region. “We are concerned about escalating tensions in the region. It’s been something we have spoken number of times, we’ve focused on. We’ve been incredibly concerned about the potential for escalation since October 7,” Miller said.

“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.

When asked about media reports claiming that the Pakistan government consulted Washington before retaliatory strike on Iran, Miller said, “I do not have anything private conversations to read out.”

“We don’t believe this should escalate in any way, shape or form. Pakistan is a major non-NATO ally of the United States, that will remain the case, but we would urge restraint in this case.”

Matthew Miller called Iran a major funder of Hezbollah and a principal supporter of Hamas for years.

In another query about 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 Strikes In Pakistan

Iran’s strikes in Pakistan came after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched missiles into Iraq’s Kurdistan region at what it called an Israeli “spy headquarters” and at alleged ISIS-linked targets in Syria, Al Arabiya News reported.

“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 very messages to Iran that we don’t believe this should escalate in any way, shape or form. 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.

US Is Monitoring The Situation

Meanwhile, National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the White House, John Kirby said that the US is monitoring the situation regarding Iran and Pakistan “very very closely” and they do not want to see escalation.

While speaking in a press Gaggle en route Morrisville, John Kirby said, “You’ve all seen the reports out of Pakistan that they fired some missiles into Iran. We’re monitoring this very, very closely. We don’t want to see an escalation, clearly, in South Asia – South and Central Asia. And we’re in touch with our Pakistani counterparts, as you might expect.”

“We’ll let the Pakistanis speak to their military operations. I’m not going to parse that or do any or try to, you know, operationalize it here from Air Force One,” he added.

Pakistan’s Missile Strike In Iran

Pakistan said on Thursday that it has launched missile strikes into Iran and that “a number of terrorists were killed during the intelligence-based operation,” codenamed “Marg Bar Sarmachar”.

In a statement, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said that 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. Pakistan’s military action comes after it condemned Tuesday’s strike by Iran, which it said killed two children.

Standoff Weapons

Standoff weapons were missiles fired from aircraft at a distance. It means that Pak’s fighter jets didn’t cross Iranian border or enter its airspace.

According to EurAsian Times reports, Chinese-built fighter jets JF-17 ‘Thunder’ and J-10C ‘Vigorous Dragon’ were used by Iran on the other hand Pakistan also deployed Chinese Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Wing Loong II in its operation.

Pak’s fighter jets engaged the targets inside Iran with precision-guided air-to-ground munitions, the report added.

Islamabad state that as many as seven locations were targeted after aerial survey conducted by UAVs. The reconnaissance confirmed the “presence of high-value terrorist targets”. The primary instrument utilised in the airstrikes was the GIDS B-REK. This rocket-boosted glide bomb boasts a long reach of 170 kilometers. Impressively accurate, this piece of weaponry truly stands as a precision-guided ordinance.