Pakistan says no request from Iran for 'military assistance'

Pakistan on Thursday said it has received no request for any “military assistance” from Iran in the ongoing war against Israel while stressing that the Islamic Republic has the right to defend itself.

“Pakistan's position on Iran is clear and transparent: We provide full moral support to Iran; we strongly condemn the aggression against Iran,” Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said at the weekly press briefing here.

Khan said no request has been received from Tehran to provide asylum to Iranian refugees in Pakistan, which borders the Islamic Republic. “Nor has Iran asked us for any kind of military assistance so far,” he added.

"Iran has the right to defend itself under the UN Charter," Khan said. He stated that 21 Muslim countries rejected the Israeli aggression against Iran in a joint statement, calling the Israeli actions against international law and the UN Charter.

The spokesperson said that the situation in Iran was a cause for grave concerns for Pakistan and asked for ending the Israel attacks. He also said that Pakistan supported a negotiated resolution to the Iran-Israel conflict.

Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar held telephonic contacts with the foreign ministers of Iran, Turkey, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom and highlighted that Israeli actions against Iran can have dangerous effects in the region and beyond, Khan added.

The spokesperson also stressed that targeting Iranian nuclear facilities was a violation of IAEA safeguards and other international laws.

He also said that the Pakistani Embassy in Tehran and the consulates in Mashhad and Zahedan were assisting in the evacuation of Pakistani nationals. He added that so far 3,000 Pakistanis have been brought back.