Pakistan urges Gulf de-escalation as US, Iran trade accusations at UN

Pakistan has called for an immediate end to military provocations in the Gulf and renewed regional diplomacy as the United States, Iran, and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries exchanged sharply conflicting accusations at a UN Security Council meeting. Ambassador Syed Haider Shah of Pakistan condemned attacks against Gulf countries, specifically targeting the Houthi militia's strikes against Saudi Arabia, including civilian infrastructure and vessels engaged in lawful trade.

He emphasized the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandab Strait, warning that threats to maritime navigation endangered seafarers, disrupted international commerce, and worsened energy and food insecurity. The United States and Iran presented contrasting accounts of the crisis, with Iran blaming the United States and Israel for unprovoked wars launched in June 2025 and February 2026, which they claim caused the current insecurity.

Iran's Ambassador, Gholamhossein Darzi, accused Western members of the Council of ignoring the origins of the confrontation and attempted to reverse the roles of aggressor and victim, labeling the attacks on Iran as war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Brief written by urgent.news from Dawn's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.