WASHINGTON, Jan 19 (APP): The United States is monitoring the situation between Pakistan and Iran \u201cvery, very closely\u201d, while urging the two countries to avoid escalating tensions, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Thursday. \u201cThese are two well-armed nations and again we don\u2019t want to see an escalation,\u201d Kirby told reporters traveling with President Joe Biden aboard Air Force One. he added, \u201cWe don\u2019t want to see an escalation, clearly, in South and Central Asia. And we\u2019re in touch with our Pakistani counterparts, as you might expect.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pakistan launched missile strikes into Iran on Wednesday, after Iran carried out strikes in Pakistan late on Tuesday. A foreign office spokesperson said Pakistani precision strikes had hit \u201cterrorist hideouts\u201d in Iran\u2019s south-eastern Sistan-Baluchestan province. Questioned about US concerns over the exchange of fire between Iran and Pakistan, Kirby said, \u201cI want to let Pakistan speak to their military operations. I want to be careful about that. As you know, they were struck first by Iran, which was obviously \u2014 another reckless attack, another example of Iran\u2019s destabilizing behavior in the region.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kirby said he was \u201cnot aware\u201d whether Washington had any pre-notification about Pakistan\u2019s retaliatory attack. At the US State Department news briefing on Thursday, Spokesman Matthew Miller also said that tensions between Pakistan and Iran should not escalate in \u201cany way, shape, or form.\u201d \u201cPakistan is a major non-NATO ally of the United States. That will remain the case, but we would urge restraint in this case,\u201d Miller said in response to a question. Miller said Iranian and Pakistani tensions are not connected to the conflict in Gaza, but given the tensions in the region there\u2019s risk for increased conflict.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been incredibly concerned about the potential for escalation since October 7th, and that\u2019s why we have engaged in intense diplomatic efforts to try to prevent escalation,\u201d Miller said. \u201d So, I will say we noted the comments from the Government of Pakistan about the importance of cooperative relations between Pakistan and its neighbours. We thought those were productive, useful statements. And certainly, there\u2019s no need for escalation, and we would urge restraint on all sides in this case.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
WASHINGTON, Jan 19 (APP): The United States is monitoring the situation between Pakistan and Iran \u201cvery, very closely\u201d, while urging the two countries to avoid escalating tensions, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Thursday. \u201cThese are two well-armed nations and again we […]<\/p>\n
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