Pakistan has condemned the US President Donald Trump's decision to bomb Iran, a day after recommending him for a Nobel Peace Prize for defusing a recent crisis with India and describing him as "a genuine peacemaker".
Islamabad on Sunday criticised Washington for attacking Iran, saying that the strikes "constituted a serious violation of international law" and the statute of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
"The unprecedented escalation of tension 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," Pakistan’s foreign ministry said.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in a phone call Sunday with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, expressed his concern that the bombings had targeted facilities that were under the safeguards of the IAEA.
The US military struck three key Iranian nuclear sites early on Sunday, after more than a week of strikes by Israel on Iran.
Pakistan has close ties with its neighbour Iran and supports its attacks on Israel, saying that it has the right to self-defence.
Hundreds of Shiite Muslims in Karachi marched in protest against US and Israeli strikes on Iran on Sunday.
Just a day earlier, Pakistan's government said in a post on X that it had decided to formally recommend Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize "in recognition of his decisive diplomatic intervention and pivotal leadership during the recent India-Pakistan crisis".
Relations between the two South Asian countries plummeted after a massacre of tourists in Indian-controlled Kashmir in April.
The nuclear-armed rivals stepped closer to conflict in the weeks that followed, attacking each other until intense diplomatic efforts, which were led by Washington, resulted in a truce for which Trump took credit.
In its post on X, Islamabad said Trump had "demonstrated great strategic foresight and stellar statesmanship" and described him "as a genuine peacemaker".
The recommendation came after a meeting between Trump and Pakistan's powerful army chief, Asim Munir, at the White House on Thursday.
The meeting, which lasted more than two hours, was also attended by the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Special Representative for Middle Eastern Affairs Steve Witkoff.
According to a Pakistani military statement, a detailed exchange of views took place on the "prevailing tensions between Iran and Israel, with both leaders emphasizing the importance of the resolution of the conflict".
While Pakistan was quick to thank Trump for his intervention in its crisis with India, New Delhi played it down and said there was no need for external mediation on the Kashmir issue.
The Himalayan region of Kashmir is divided between Pakistan and India but claimed by both in its entirety. India accuses Pakistan of backing militant groups in the region, which Islamabad denies.
