Pakistan, other Islamic countries issue joint statement condemning Israel attack on Iran

ISLAMABAD: In a strong joint declaration, the foreign ministers of 20 Islamic nations, including Pakistan, Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, and Egypt, have squarely condemned Israel‘s latest attacks on Iran by the military, demanding de-escalation and immediate return to talks for a long-term pact on the Iranian nuclear program.

The foreign ministers who issued the koint committee, included Algeria, Bahrain, Brunei Darussalam, Chad, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Mauritania, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Turkiye, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates, as per the statement released by the Foreign Office.

The declaration was made against the backdrop of the fast-changing regional dynamics and the unprecedented heightening of tensions in the Middle East region, especially due to the successive military hostilities of Israel against Iran.

The foreign ministers resolutely rejected and deplored Israel‘s recent aggression against Iran from June 13, 2025, and any action that violated international law and the objectives and principles of the Charter of the United Nations.

They underscored the imperative of respecting states’ sovereignty and territorial integrity, observing the precepts of good neighbourliness, and peaceful resolution of conflicts.

They called for bringing an end to Israeli aggression against Iran, which is occurring at a period of heightened tension in the Middle East, and to move towards de-escalation, to attain a complete ceasefire and normalization of relations.

The foreign ministers were very concerned about this dangerous development, which risked having severe repercussions on the peace and stability of the whole region.

The 20 leaders demanded the immediate need for a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and other Weapons of Mass Destruction, which would be binding on all States in the region without exception under pertinent international resolutions.

There is also an immediate call for all nations of the Middle East to sign the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), they noted.

The foreign ministers underscored the utmost significance of avoiding attacking nuclear facilities that were placed under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards, according to relevant IAEA resolutions and decisions of the United Nations Security Council, as such actions were a violation of international law and international humanitarian law, including the 1949 Geneva Conventions.

They regarded an immediate return to the negotiations path as the sole effective way to achieve a sustainable settlement on the Iranian nuclear issue.

The foreign ministers also emphasized the necessity of protecting the freedom of navigation in international waterways according to the pertinent international law rules, and abstaining from jeopardizing maritime security.

The foreign ministers all agreed that diplomacy, dialogue, and observance of the principles of good neighbourliness, in line with international law and the UN Charter, were still the only conceivable way to resolve the crises in the region, and that military methods could not result in a lasting end to the current crisis.