'Dangerous escalation': Pakistan condemns Iranian attacks on Saudi energy facilities

Pakistan on Tuesday condemned Iranian attacks on Saudi Arabia's energy facilities calling it a "dangerous and unecessary escalation" that undermines regional peace and stability.

It reaffirmed its unwavering support for Saudi security."The Government of Pakistan expresses its deep concern and unequivocal condemnation of the missile and drone attacks carried out by the Islamic Republic of Iran last night against energy facilities in the Eastern Region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” PTI quoted the foreign office statement saying.Pakistan considers these attacks a serious violation of Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and a dangerous escalation that undermines regional peace and stability, it added.The strike occurred as Pakistan, along with other regional mediators, was making a final push to broker a ceasefire between the United States and Iran ahead of a deadline set by former President Donald Trump for a peace agreement.Moreover, it also condemned the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli occupation forces in "strongest possible terms.""This reprehensible act constitutes a direct assault on the sanctity and historical character of the holy site and is a violation of international law and relevant United Nations resolutions,” it said.

The Pakistan army called the Iranian attack an “unnecessary escalation” that undermines efforts to resolve the conflict peacefully."The Forum noted with concern and vehemently condemned the latest attacks on Saudi's petrochemical and industrial complex as an unnecessary escalation which spoils sincere efforts to resolve the conflict through peaceful means," it said."Forum noted that restraint and calibration so far exhibited by Saudi Arabia, despite grave provocations, enabled mediation and diplomatic resolution; however, such unwarranted aggressions have serious repercussions, to spoil the ongoing peaceful options and conducive environment,” it warned.On Tuesday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed responsibility for an attack on Saudi Arabia’s Jubail petrochemical complex, a key part of the kingdom’s downstream sector, though details of the damage were not immediately available. Jubail, a major industrial hub, hosts multi-billion-dollar joint ventures involving state-owned Saudi Aramco, its petrochemical arm SABIC, and several Western energy companies.US President Donald Trump’s deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by Tuesday, under threat of bombing civilian infrastructure, represents the most significant escalation of the conflict so far. Iran has responded by warning it could strike similar infrastructure in the Gulf, demonstrating its continued ability to target neighboring countries and disrupt the Strait, which handles about a fifth of the world’s oil supply.