Pakistan-Iran crisis: Iran launches major military exercises amid border tension

Pakistan caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani, in a telephonic conversation with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan told him that Islamabad had no interest in escalation. 

"Pakistan's Operation Marg Bar Sarmachar was aimed at terrorist camps inside Iran," he said.

Amid the ongoing border tension with Pakistan, Iran has launched major military exercises  covering an area of 600,000 square kilometres (nearly 231,661 square miles), with the participation of its naval forces and the Revolutionary Guards air force. 

According to reports, Pakistan caretaker prime minister will hold an emergency meeting late on Friday (Jan 19) with military and intelligence chiefs, a day after launching retaliatory strikes on Iran. 

Pakistan has recalled its ambassador from Tehran and said Iran's envoy -- on a visit home -- is blocked from returning to Islamabad.

If reports are to be believed, Pakistan's attack on Thursday inside Iran's south-eastern Sistan-Baluchestan province which borders its western region of Balochistan ended up claiming the lives of 10 Pakistanis, including women and children.

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White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said on Thursday that Washington was monitoring the Iran-Pakistan clashes closely. "We don't want to see an escalation clearly in South and Central Asia. And we're in touch with our Pakistani counterparts," Kirby told reporters on Air Force One. 

Pakistan's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has told the country's air carriers to avoid use of Iran's airspace, considering the safety and malfunctioning control situation of Iranian air defence systems seen in the past.

Russia, Turkey and the European Union (EU) have called for restraint as tensions are escalating between Iran and Pakistan. '

“These attacks, including in Pakistan, Iraq and Iran now are of utmost concern for the European Union because they violate the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries, and they have also a destabilising effect on the region,” EU spokesperson Peter Stano said. 

According to reports, the Russian foreign ministry called on Tehran and Islamabad to solve their differences through diplomacy.

Turkey, meanwhile, also appealed for peace and sanity to prevail. 

Baloc­histan has ramped up its security measures after Pakisṭan’s retaliatory strike into Iran.

According to a report by Dawn, Chief Minister Mir Ali Mardan Domki held a high-level meeting to thoroughly assess the current law and order situation, particularly in the border regions.

Pakisṭan Prime Minister Anwar ul Haq Kakar is set to hold an emergency meeting later on Friday with military and intelligence chiefs after trading deadly air strikes with Iran on militant targets.

Baloch separatist group, Balochistan Liberation Army said that "Pakistan will have to pay the price" for the airstrikes conducted on January 18, 2024. 

"Now the Baluch Liberation Army will not remain silent. We will avenge it and we announce war on state of Pakistan," the group said in a statement.

U.S. President Joe Biden said on Thursday (Jan 18) that the clashes between Iran and Pakistan show that Iran is not well-liked in the region.

Pakistan launched strikes on separatist militants inside Iran on Thursday, in a retaliatory attack two days after Tehran struck the bases of another jihadist group within Pakistani territory.

"As you can see Iran is not particularly well-liked in the region and where that goes, we're working on now. I don't know where that goes," Biden said.

Pakistan on Thursday (Jan 18) launched airstrikes in Iran against alleged militant hideouts, killing at least nine people. In the retaliatory action called operation "Marg Bar Sarmachar" several missiles hit a village in the Sistan-Baluchestan province that borders Pakistan, said Iranian state media.

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Breaching Pakistan's air defence system, Iran on Tuesday (Jan 16) targeted two key strongholds of terror outfit Jaish al-Adl (known in Iran as Jaysh al-Dhulm) in the restive Balochistan province using "precision missile and drone strikes". The strike by Tehran inside Pakistani borders led to the death of two children, as per local reports. 

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United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres while expressing his deep concern over the Pakistan-Iran conflict, urged both the countries to exercise restraint. 

"The Secretary-General is deeply concerned about the recent exchange of military strikes between Iran and Pakistan, which have reportedly caused casualties on both sides," as per a statement by UN Chief Stephane Dujarric quoting Guterres. 

"He urges both countries to exercise maximum restraint to avoid a further escalation of tensions," the statement added.