‘Dangerous escalation’: Pakistan condemns Iranian attack on Saudi energy facilities

Pakistan on Tuesday condemned Iran’s attack on Saudi Arabia’s energy facilities, calling it a “dangerous and unnecessary escalation” that undermines regional peace and stability. It reiterated its firm support for Saudi security.“The Government of Pakistan expresses its deep concern and unequivocal condemnation of last night’s missile and drone attacks by the Islamic Republic of Iran on energy facilities in the eastern region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” the Press Trust of India quoted a statement from Pakistan’s foreign ministry as saying.Pakistan believes that these attacks seriously violated Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, were a dangerous escalation, and undermined regional peace and stability.The attack comes as Pakistan and other regional mediators make a last-ditch effort to broker a ceasefire between the United States and Iran ahead of a peace deal deadline set by former President Donald Trump.Furthermore, it condemned in “the strongest terms” the Israeli occupying forces’ attack on the Al-Aqsa Mosque.“This reprehensible act constitutes a direct attack on the sanctity and historical character of the holy site and violates international law and relevant United Nations resolutions,” the statement said.Pakistan’s military called the Iranian attack an “unnecessary escalation” that undermined efforts to peacefully resolve the conflict.“The Forum notes with concern and strongly condemns the recent attacks on Saudi petrochemical and industrial complexes, deeming them an unnecessary escalation that undermines sincere efforts to resolve the conflict through peaceful means,” the statement said.“The Forum notes that despite serious provocations, Saudi Arabia has so far shown restraint and calibration, facilitating mediation and diplomatic solutions; however, such unjustified aggression will have serious repercussions, undermining ongoing peaceful options and enabling environment,” the Forum warned.On Tuesday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed responsibility for an attack on Saudi Arabia’s Jubail petrochemical complex, a key part of the country’s downstream industry, but details of the damage were unclear. Jubail is a major industrial hub with multi-billion dollar joint ventures involving state-owned Saudi Aramco, its petrochemicals subsidiary Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) and several Western energy companies.U.S. President Donald Trump has given Iran until Tuesday to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and threatened to bomb civilian infrastructure in the most serious escalation of the conflict yet. Iran responded by warning it could attack similar infrastructure in the Gulf, demonstrating its ability to continue targeting neighbors and disrupting the strait, which handles about a fifth of the world’s oil supplies.