Pakistan, Kuwait call for de-escalation amid escalating US-Iran conflict

Pakistan and Kuwait on Saturday stressed the urgent need to reduce tensions in the Middle East amid the recent outbreak of fresh hostilities between the United States and Iran, while calling on all sides to exercise restraint.

According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar received a phone call from Kuwait’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, during which the two leaders discussed the latest developments in the region.

“Foreign Minister Sheikh Jarrah shared Kuwait’s serious concerns regarding the continued attacks on its territory,” the statement said, adding that he hoped that all parties would exercise restraint and that the Islamabad MoU would be fully implemented.

He also appreciated Pakistan’s constructive and mediating role in promoting regional dialogue and stability.

During the conversation, Dar underlined the urgent need to reduce tensions, stressed the importance of respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states, and emphasized that maintaining regional peace and security must remain the top priority.

He also stressed the importance of respecting ceasefire commitments under the Islamabad MoU and avoiding any action that could further escalate tensions.

The two leaders agreed to remain in close contact on matters of mutual interest.

Read: Iran has suspended implementation of Islamabad MoU: Deputy Foreign Minister Gharibabadi

The conversation came as Iran launched attacks on US military bases in Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain, as an adviser to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said the conflict would enter a more “aggressive” and “destructive” phase.

Kuwait Petroleum Corporation said that “one of the vital sites in the oil sector was subject to repeated and brutal Iranian attacks, resulting in a number of injuries and significant material losses,” according to Al Jazeera.

“The injured were provided medical assistance and the place was evacuated, while the response to the attack is handled in coordination with the relevant state authorities,” the statement said, according to the country’s news agency. kuna news agency.

Separately, Kuwait Airways announced that takeoff and landing operations at Kuwait International Airport had been temporarily suspended, adding that most of its flights had been rescheduled due to the measure.

“The majority of flights have been rescheduled due to the temporary suspension of takeoffs and landings at Kuwait International Airport as a result of the Iranian aggression,” the airline said in a statement released by kuna.

Iran launched new attacks on US allies in the Gulf on Saturday after a seventh straight night of US attacks on Iranian military sites, including logistics infrastructure, escalating the conflict a week after the collapse of a fragile ceasefire agreement.

Read also: Iran renews attacks on Gulf states after another night of US strikes

Both sides also attacked shipping traffic: The United States said it was enforcing a naval blockade, while Iran said it was attacking ships that violated its rules governing navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway vital to about a fifth of the world’s oil supply.

Oil prices rose more than 4% on Friday to their highest level in more than a month, increasing political pressure on US President Donald Trump as his Republican Party seeks to retain control in November’s congressional elections.

Washington and Tehran have continued to test the limits of escalation since the ceasefire agreement broke down last week, raising concerns about a return to full-scale war.

Former IRGC commander-in-chief Mohsen Rezaei declared early on Saturday that “both diplomacy and negotiations, as well as the war, are over.”

“If the United States continues the war in the next 2 or 3 days, we will enter the stage of ‘large-scale invasion and annihilation’ of the enemy,” he said.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was also concerned about the escalation, particularly “attacks on civilian infrastructure in Iran and across the region,” his spokesman said.