Pakistan has recalled its ambassador from Iran after accusing the country of violating its airspace with strikes on the restive Balochistan province.
Islamabad said two children had died in Tehran's attack, which Iranian state media said had targeted two bases of the militant group Jaish al Adl. This came a day after similar Iranian attacks inside other neighbors, Iraq and Syria, Reuters reported.
Jaish al-Adl (Army of Justice) is a Sunni Muslim armed group that has previously launched attacks on Iranian security forces in the border area with Pakistan.
Pakistan's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said that the "unprovoked and blatant breach of Pakistan's sovereignty by Iran is a violation of international law." Pakistan has also asked the Iranian ambassador, who was visiting Tehran when the attack took place, not to return, Baloch added.
An unnamed Pakistani security official told the Associated Press that Iran had not informed Islamabad before the strike, describing it as a "dangerous precedent" with "reciprocal implications."
In a statement on Wednesday, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said: "It is even more concerning that this illegal act has taken place despite the existence of several channels of communication between Pakistan and Iran."
"Such unilateral acts are not in conformity with good neighborly relations and can seriously undermine bilateral trust and confidence," the statement said.
On the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said the air attacks in Pakistan targeted an "Iranian terrorist group" and were in response to the group's recent attacks on the Iranian city of Rask in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan.
"We've talked with Pakistani officials several times on this matter," he said, adding that while Tehran respected the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Pakistan, it would not "allow the country's national security to be compromised or played with."
China has urged the countries to show "restraint" and "avoid actions that would lead to an escalation of tension."
Newsweek reached out to the Pakistani and Iranian Foreign Ministries for comment.
The diplomatic spat comes as tensions grow across the Middle East, with the war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza and the United States leading strikes against Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen after they attacked commercial shipping.
Iran has said it does not have a wider conflict, but those in its "Axis of Resistance" across the region, which include Houthis, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and various groups in Syria and Iraq, have been carrying out attacks on Israel and its allies in solidarity with Hamas.
Update 01/17/24, 12:21 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information and to reflect that Newsweek reached out to the Pakistani and Iranian Foreign Ministries for comment.
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Brendan Cole is a Newsweek Senior News Reporter based in London, UK. His focus is Russia and Ukraine, in particular ... Read more
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