Mediator Pakistan says renewed US-Iran conflict is ‘in no one’s interest’

ISLAMABAD, July 9: Pakistan has urged “all parties” in the escalating United States-Iran conflict to exercise restraint after a fragile ceasefire that had held for nearly three weeks collapsed into a new wave of strikes and counterstrikes.

“A renewed conflict is in no one’s interest,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Wednesday.

It urged both sides to honour commitments under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), brokered by Pakistan in April, describing it as “an enduring foundation for understanding, mutual respect and shared prosperity for the region and beyond”. The Pakistani statement added that it “remains ready to continue playing its role” in efforts to de-escalate tensions.

Al Jazeera reached out to senior Pakistani officials for further comments but was referred to the Foreign Ministry’s statement.

Pakistan’s appeal came hours after the US carried out a second consecutive night of attacks on Iran, targeting about 90 sites, including coastal radar installations, missile and drone storage facilities, and naval assets.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps responded with drone and missile attacks on US military bases in Kuwait and Bahrain, including Camp Arifjan and the Fifth Fleet headquarters in Juffair, while also launching drones towards a site in Qatar.�"AL JAZEERA