US President Joe Biden has criticised Iran for launching a strike on Pakistan, saying that the clashes between the two countries showed that Tehran is not “well-liked” in the region.
Pakistan launched strikes on terrorists’ hideouts inside Iran on Thursday, in a retaliatory attack two days after Tehran violated the country’s sovereignty by launching a strike in Balochistan that left two children dead and injured three girls.
Reacting to the clashes, Biden said: “As you can see Iran is not particularly well-liked in the region and where that goes, we’re working on now. I don’t know where that goes.”
The United States has been locked in a test of wills with Iran over its support for Houthi rebels in Yemen who have been launching attacks against commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Air Force One as Biden flew to North Carolina that Washington is monitoring the Iran-Pakistan clashes closely.
“We don’t want to see an escalation clearly in South and Central Asia. And we’re in touch with our Pakistani counterparts,” Kirby said.
Kirby said the attack on Pakistan was another example of Iran’s destabilising behavior in the region.
Separately, UN chief Antonio Guterres expressed concern after Iran and Pakistan exchanged air strikes on each other’s territory.
“The Secretary-General is deeply concerned about the recent exchange of military strikes between Iran and Pakistan,” said Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
“He urges both countries to exercise maximum restraint to avoid a further escalation of tensions.”
