Tensions in the Middle East have erupted again—this time with a fierce international backlash. Pakistan has issued a sharp rebuke to the United States following American military strikes that obliterated several of Iran’s nuclear facilities. The Islamic Republic of Pakistan, a nuclear-armed nation in its own right, is warning that the region may be headed toward “severely damaging implications.”
The official statement out of Islamabad couldn’t have been more direct: “We are gravely concerned at the possible further escalation of tensions in the region.” Pakistan is not only condemning the strikes, but backing Iran’s right to defend itself, declaring that the U.S. action “violates all norms of international law.”
Pakistan isn’t some bystander in this high-stakes geopolitical standoff. With an estimated 170 nuclear warheads and no binding commitment to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), its voice carries weight. The Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation has stated, “Pakistan has not declared a No First Use policy.”
That means Pakistan could choose to launch nuclear weapons first in a conflict—and now it’s openly aligning with the idea that Iran has a legitimate right to retaliate.
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