ISLAMABAD (Kashmir English): In a strong joint press statement, foreign ministers of 20 Muslim nations, including Pakistan, Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE and Egypt, strongly condemned Israel’s latest missile strikes against Iran, terming them as unjustifiable and demanding de-escalation and immediate return talks for a durable deal on Iranian nuclear programme.
The foreign ministers who made a joint statement, which 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, read from the statement released by the Foreign Office.
The declaration was made against the backdrop of the fast-changing regional developments and the unprecedented heightening of tensions in the Middle East, most notably due to Israel’s continued military aggression against Iran.
The foreign ministers unequivocally rejected and deplored the recent Israeli attacks on Iran since June 13, 2025, and any measures that were against international law and the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations.
They underlined the importance of respecting states’ sovereignty and territorial integrity, keeping to the norms of good neighbourliness, and the peaceful settlement of conflicts.
They urged an end to Israeli aggression on Iran at a time of rising tension in the Middle East and tried to push towards de-escalation to meet a general ceasefire and the return of peace.
The foreign ministers were extremely concerned with this perilous escalation, which risked having major implications for the peace and stability of the whole region.
The leaders of 20 countries reiterated the urgent need for the creation of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and other Weapons of Mass Destruction, which should apply to all States in the region without exception under corresponding international resolutions.
There also exists an immediate need for the accession of all Middle Eastern countries to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), they underscored.
The foreign ministers emphasized the critical nature of avoiding attacks on nuclear installations that were under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards, in line with pertinent IAEA resolutions and United Nations Security Council resolutions, since such actions involved a violation of international law and international humanitarian law, such as the 1949 Geneva Conventions.
They considered that an immediate return to the negotiating path was the only realistic way to achieve a sustainable solution to the Iranian nuclear issue.
The foreign ministers also stressed the need to protect the freedom of maritime navigation on international waterways under the applicable principles of international law, as well as to avoid eroding maritime security.
All foreign ministers thought that diplomacy, dialogue, and respect for the principles of good neighbourliness in compliance with international law and the UN Charter were the only reasonable way to solve the crises in the region, and that military action was powerless to lead to a stable solution to the current crisis.
