Washington (Web Desk): The United States (US) has condemned Iran's airstrike and breach of Pakistan's sovereignty.
Responding to a question during his press briefing in Washington, US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said we always want to see peace and stability maintained, especially in this region.
About Pakistan's response that it reserves the right to respond illegal act of breaching Pakistan's sovereignty by Iran, Mr Miller said we hope that the issue can be peacefully resolved.
“We have seen Iran violated the sovereign borders of three of its neighbours in just past couple of days. So we do condemn these strikes,” the US State Department spokesperson said.
Reacting to Tehran's unilateral action of violating Pakistani airspace, Islamabad Wednesday warned the neighbouring country of stern consequences and announced expelling the Iranian ambassador while recalling its envoy from Tehran.
FO spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, in a press briefing, said that Pakistan had also conveyed that the Iranian ambassador to Pakistan who was currently visiting Iran might not return for the time being.
“We have conveyed this message to the Iranian Government. We have also informed them that Pakistan has decided to recall its ambassador from Iran and that the Iranian Ambassador to Pakistan who is currently visiting Iran may not return for the time being,” the spokesperson remarked.
Meanwhile Caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani, in telephonic conversation with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir Abdollahian, said that the attack conducted by Iran inside Pakistani territory was not only a serious breach of Pakistan's sovereignty but also an egregious violation of international law and the spirit of bilateral relations.
Expressing Pakistan's unreserved condemnation of the attack, the foreign minister added that the incident has caused serious damage to bilateral ties between Pakistan and Iran.
FM Jilani added that Pakistan reserved the right to respond to this provocative act.
Stressing that terrorism is a common threat to the region and require concerted and coordinated efforts to combat this menace, the foreign minister underlined that unilateral actions could seriously undermine regional peace and stability.
“No country in the region should tread this perilous path,” FM Jilani told his Iranian counterpart.
On January 17, targeted the bases of, what it claimed was a terrorist organisation, inside Pakistani territory, "Green Mountain" with drones and missiles, and destroyed the headquarters of the said terrorist group, reported Iranian state media.
“Missiles targeted two bases of Jaish al Adl in Pakistan on Tuesday”, Iranian state media reported, a day after Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards missile strikes hit an “Israeli spy centre” in Iraq and targeted Islamic State militants in Syria.
Earlier today (Thursday morning), Pakistan struck terrorist hideouts in Iran’s Siestan-o-Baluchistan province, a day after Iran violated the country’s sovereignty.
“This morning Pakistan undertook a series of highly coordinated and specifically targeted precision military strikes against terrorist hideouts in Siestan-o-Baluchistan province of Iran. A number of terrorists were killed during the Intelligence-based operation – codenamed ‘Marg Bar Sarmachar’,” confirmed Pakistan Foreign Office (FO) in a statement.
FO Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch in her statement said that over the last several years, Pakistan in its engagements with Iran consistently shared serious concerns about the safe havens and sanctuaries enjoyed by Pakistani origin terrorists calling themselves Sarmachars on the ungoverned spaces inside Iran.
She said Pakistan also shared multiple dossiers with concrete evidence of the presence and activities of these terrorists.
The FO spokesperson said because of lack of action on our serious concerns, these so-called Sarmachars continued to spill the blood of innocent Pakistanis with impunity.
She said this morning’s action was taken in light of credible intelligence of impending large scale terrorist activities by these so called Sarmachars.
Balcohh said that this action is a manifestation of Pakistan’s unflinching resolve to protect and defend its national security against all threats.