- Dar, EU’s Kallas review regional situation during phone call.
- EU’s top diplomat hails Pakistan’s efforts for Mideast peace.
- Voices concerns over recent violations of US-Iran ceasefire.
Pakistan on Sunday stressed the need for all parties to the Middle East conflict to uphold the US-Iran ceasefire agreement, following Tehran and Washington’s recent tit-for-tat attacks.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar made the remarks during a phone call with European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, during which they reviewed the evolving regional situation, according to a statement issued by the Foreign Office.
The EU’s top diplomat appreciated Pakistan’s “sincere efforts” culminating in the signing of the Islamabad memorandum of understanding, it said.
Kallas voiced concerns at the recent ceasefire violations, stressing that channels of communication must remain open between all parties to the conflict.
For his part, DPM Dar informed the EU’s top diplomat about Pakistan’s continued diplomatic efforts towards a comprehensive framework for peace and stability in the region.
He also emphasised the necessity for all parties to abide by the ceasefire agreement, the FO said.
DPM Dar’s remarks come after Iran launched missiles and drones on US military sites in Kuwait and Bahrain early on Sunday, shortly after President Donald Trump threatened to wipe out the Iranian leadership if they did not stick to the interim agreement to end their war.
Israel said on Sunday it had struck Hezbollah in Lebanon on Saturday, just a day after it agreed the latest ceasefire deal with Lebanon to calm fighting that Iran says must end if the wider agreement is to stick.
The US military said earlier it had struck Iran again, hours after a tanker was hit in the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important energy shipping route, which Tehran has largely closed for most of the conflict.
“There may come a point when we are no longer able to be reasonable, and will be forced to militarily complete the job that we very successfully started,” Trump said on social media.
“If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!” he added.
Iran attacks US bases in Kuwait, Bahrain
About an hour after Trump’s post, Kuwait’s army said its air defences were responding to missile and drone attacks, while Bahrain said sirens had sounded there.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in a statement its navy and air forces had launched missile and drone operations targeting US military sites in Kuwait and Bahrain.
The IRGC said that US strikes had violated the ceasefire and “will result in the complete halt of all diplomatic processes”, state-run Press TV said. The IRGC Navy command said American bases in the region “will experience hell in the coming days”.
A US official, confirming the attacks on US facilities, told Reuters there were no reported US casualties or major damage to US sites in the Middle East but the situation was still unfolding.
Hours later, alarms sounded for a second time in Bahrain, where authorities said an Iranian attack damaged a residential building in Muharraq province, with no casualties reported. Bahrain urged the UN Security Council to hold an urgent session to hold Iran accountable.
The Kuwaiti army said it had intercepted two ballistic missiles with no damage or casualties.
One round of Pakistan-mediated talks, led by US Vice President JD Vance and Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf, was held in Switzerland a week ago, and Washington waived sanctions on Tehran, but fighting has since resumed and intensified.
The 14-point interim peace accord was meant to halt the fighting, which the US and Israel started on February 28, and reopen the strait while talks proceeded on issues such as Iran’s nuclear programme.
— With additional input from agencies.
