Pakistan on Wednesday recalled its ambassador from Iran and announced that the Iranian ambassador to Pakistan who is visiting the country will not be allowed to return.
The Pakistan foreign ministry has suspended all ongoing and planned high-level visits between Pakistan and Iran in the coming days.
The development comes a day after Iran launched unprecedented missile and drone strikes on terrorist bases of a Sunni militant group in the restive Balochistan province.
Pakistan condemned the missile strike and denounced the attack as a “blatant violation” of its airspace.
“Last night’s unprovoked and blatant breach of Pakistan’s sovereignty by Iran is a violation of international law and the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations. This is completely unacceptable and has no justification whatsoever,” the foreign office said in a statement.
“Pakistan reserves the right to respond to this act. The responsibility for the consequences will lie squarely with Iran,” it said, adding that Pakistan has conveyed this message to the Iranian government.
“We have also informed them that Pakistan has decided to recall its ambassador from Iran and that the Iranian Ambassador to Pakistan who is currently visiting Iran may not return for the time being. We have also decided to suspend all high level visits which were ongoing or were planned between Pakistan and Iran in coming days,” it added.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards hit what they called an Israeli espionage centre in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, Iranian media reported late on Monday, while the elite force said they also struck in Syria against the Islamic State.
The strike appeared likely to deepen worries about worsening instability across West Asia since the Gaza war started on October 7, with Iran’s allies also entering the fray from Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen.
