What is 'Military Clash' - Pakistan "Agreement to Ease Tensions... Strengthening Cooperation"

March 19 Bilateral Foreign Ministers' Call
Three Days After Iran's Preemptive Airstrike

On the 19th (local time), Iran and Pakistan, which had recently exchanged airstrikes since the 16th, raising concerns about an escalation in the Middle East, suddenly agreed to ease tensions.

According to AFP and other sources, the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced in a statement that the foreign ministers of the two countries discussed this matter over the phone.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

The Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "The two ministers agreed to strengthen practical cooperation and close coordination in areas of mutual interest, including counterterrorism," adding, "They also shared the intention to ease the (airstrike) situation and discussed the return of each country's ambassador to their respective capitals."

Earlier, on the 16th, Iran attacked the base of the Sunni separatist armed group 'Jaish al-Adl,' located in Pakistan, with missiles. Pakistan strongly protested, and two days later, on the 18th, Iran conducted retaliatory airstrikes in the Sistan-Baluchistan region along the southeastern border.

After the airstrikes, Pakistan summoned the Iranian ambassador stationed in Tehran and restricted the Iranian special envoy to Pakistan, who had briefly visited Pakistan, from returning to Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan.

The New York Times (NYT) reported, "Pakistan is not in a position to wage war, having faced economic and political crises, increased armed attacks, and deteriorating relations with Afghanistan over the past two years," and added, "Pakistan is seeking an exit strategy with Iran."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.