Thu, September 17, 2026
Islamabad (Web Desk): On Saturday evening, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar engaged in a series of telephone discussions with his counterparts from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Qatar, addressing the rapidly evolving regional situation.
He first spoke with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, during which both leaders conveyed serious concern over recent regional developments and agreed on the need for ongoing coordination and regular communication.
Dar also held talks with UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Abdullah Bin Zayed al Nahyan. The two officials exchanged views on the situation in the region, expressed shared apprehension about recent incidents, and committed to keeping in close contact as events unfold.
Moreover, DPM Dar also spoke with Qatar’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi.
They discussed the current regional tensions, highlighted concern over recent attacks—including those affecting Qatar—and stressed the urgent importance of de-escalation, agreeing to remain in continuous communication.
Israel and the United States (US) launched joint military strikes against Iran on Saturday, triggering a sharp escalation in the Middle East and pushing the region into a volatile new phase of conflict.
President Donald Trump described the attacks as a preventive measure aimed at dismantling Iran’s missile capabilities and stopping its progress toward developing nuclear weapons, emphasizing the threat Washington believes Tehran poses to global security.
Iran retaliated almost immediately, firing a wide-ranging missile assault targeting locations in Gulf countries as well as Israel.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps stated that its strikes were directed at the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain, other American military bases in the Gulf, and selected sites within Israel.
Explosions were reported and air defense systems activated in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Israel, and parts of Iraq, illustrating the broad scale of the unfolding crisis.
The missile barrage followed repeated Iranian warnings that any attack on its territory would provoke a strong counterstrike. Governments across the Gulf confirmed that their airspace had been targeted.
Authorities in Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE, and Jordan said their defense systems intercepted incoming missiles, while in Abu Dhabi, UAE state media reported one person killed amid the escalation that reverberated across the region.
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