Pakistan condemns US attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities

Lahore: Pakistan on Sunday condemned the US attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities, calling them a violation of international law and warning of the risk of further escalation of violence in the region.

Pakistan’s condemnation came a day after Pakistan backed US President Donald Trump as a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize.

The US on early Sunday morning attacked Iran’s Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz nuclear sites with the aim of destroying the country’s nuclear programme. US President Trump warned of additional strikes if Iran retaliates.

Reacting to the development, the Foreign Office (FO) of Pakistan in a statement said: “Pakistan condemns the US attacks on the nuclear facilities of Iran, which follow the series of attacks by Israel. We are gravely concerned at the possible further escalation of tensions in the region.”

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also conveyed Islamabad’s strong condemnation of the US attacks in a phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

“Shehbaz Sharif reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering solidarity with the brotherly people and Government of Iran, while expressing heartfelt condolences on the loss of precious lives and prayed for the swift recovery of the injured,” reported Radio Pakistan.

According to the Foreign Office, these attacks “violate all norms of international law” and that Iran has the legitimate right to defend itself under the UN Charter.

“The unprecedented escalation of tensions and violence owing to ongoing aggression against Iran is deeply disturbing. Any further escalation of tensions will have severely damaging implications for the region and beyond,” it said.

The Foreign Office further said: “We emphasise the imperative need to respect civilian lives and properties and immediately bring the conflict to an end.”

It proposed a dialogue among the stakeholders to address the crises in the region. “All parties must adhere to international law, particularly international humanitarian law,” the FO said.

“Recourse to dialogue and diplomacy in line with the principles and purposes of the UN Charter remains the only viable pathway to resolve the crises in the region,” it said.

Interestingly, the Pakistan government on Saturday said it will formally recommend US President Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for his “decisive diplomatic intervention” during the recent India-Pakistan conflict.

In his call with the Iranian president, Sharif expressed concerns that the US strikes targeted facilities that were under the safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency, adding that these attacks constituted a serious violation of international law and the IAEA Statute.

While noting Iran’s right to self-defence, as enshrined under Article 51 of the UN Charter, he stressed upon the need to immediately return to dialogue and diplomacy as the only viable path forward. He also called for urgent collective efforts to de-escalate the situation.

PM Shehbaz reiterated Pakistan’s readiness to play a constructive role in this context.

Meanwhile, none of the main leaders of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (N) and Pakistan Peoples Party have yet issued any statement on the US attack on Iran’s three nuclear sites, which analysts say is because of the “military establishment’s cordial relations with US President Donald Trump.”

The Opposition Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan also strongly condemned the Trump administration for “blatant violation of Iran’s sovereignty and breach of international law.”

“Israel has finally and cunningly succeeded in convincing the United States to directly attack Iran’s three nuclear installations — despite both US intelligence and the IAEA clearly stating there is no evidence that Iran is building a nuclear bomb,” Zulfi Bokhari, PTI’s senior leader and close aide to Khan, said.

Every time Iran has chosen the path of diplomacy, it has been deceived and attacked. The latest aggression is a blatant violation of Iran’s sovereignty and a clear breach of international law.

“We, the people of Pakistan, strongly condemn the United States’ attack on Iran,” Bokhari said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “relentless greed to hold on to power has destabilised the entire Middle East”, he said.

“He has proven to be, single-handedly, the greatest threat to peace and prosperity in the region — and potentially, the world,” he added.

Other than Pakistan, Muslim nations like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iraq and Oman condemned the targeting of Iranian nuclear facilities by the US.

“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is following with deep concern the developments in the Islamic Republic of Iran, particularly the targeting of Iranian nuclear facilities by the United States of America,” the Saudi Foreign Ministry posted on X.

“The Kingdom reaffirms the contents of its statement on June 13, 2025, in which it condemned and denounced the violation of the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” it said.

Qatar expressed its regret over the deterioration of the situation following the bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities. It warned that the current dangerous tensions in the region will lead to disastrous repercussions at the regional and international levels.