Qatar's Foreign Ministry called on Iran and Pakistan to "exercise the utmost levels of self-restraint" following the exchange of airstrikes against "terrorists" in the past week.
In a statement, the Foreign Ministry voiced great concern over the situation between Iran and Pakistan and urged both countries "to exercise the utmost levels of self-restraint, give priority to the voice of wisdom, avoid escalation, and resolve differences through dialogue and diplomatic means."
It reiterated support for all regional and international efforts "aimed at defusing tensions and conflicts in the region through constructive dialogues."
Islamabad on Thursday said it launched precision strikes against separatist terrorists in Iran's Sistan-Baluchistan province, two days after Tehran struck what it described as bases for the Jaish al-Adl in the border town of Panjgur in Pakistan's Baluchistan province.
Pakistani fighter jets on Thursday targeted alleged hideouts of separatists in neighboring Iran, officials said, escalating deadly cross-border military exchanges.
Ten Pakistani nationals were killed, according to the Iranian news agency ISNA.
Pakistani intelligence stated that the targets in Iran's Sistan and Balochistan province had been used by Pakistanis known to be terrorists. Missiles and drones were used to attack hideouts of the separatist groups Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Baluchistan Liberation Front (BLF), it added.
Baluchistan is a region spread across parts of Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan that is home to the Baloch ethnic group. The BLA and BLF have been fighting for their own state.
Three drones were used in residential areas during the Pakistani attack on Iran, Iranian reports said. Four residential buildings were destroyed.
Authorities are investigating how the Pakistanis reached the Iranian border area.
Pakistan's Foreign Ministry in Islamabad said the air force targeted the hideouts of separatists inside Iran in an operation codenamed Marg Barg Saramchar.
"Marg" means death in Farsi and "Saramchar" is the term separatist militant organizations used to describe their fighters.
In a statement, the Pakistani secret service also confirmed the use of drones as well as missiles in the military strike. Intelligence officials told dpa that Pakistani JF-17 fighter jets hit the militants’ hideouts with guided missiles in a precision strike.
Pakistan's early Thursday morning attacks were in apparent retaliation for an earlier attack by Iran on Pakistani territory.
Surrounding countries fear an escalation between Iran and the nuclear power Pakistan. China and Türkiye have signaled their willingness to mediate.
China would like to "play a constructive role to settle the differences,” Yan Yundong, head of the Chinese consulate in the southern city of Karachi, told broadcaster Geo News.
The BLA, which Pakistan says has hideouts in the region, is behind deadly attacks against Pakistani security forces and Chinese officials working on several projects in the province.
The BLA denied the claim on its social media platforms, saying the group doesn’t operate from Iran.
China is undertaking infrastructure projects in Baluchistan, including building a deep-sea port and an airport under President Xi Jinping’s flagship Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
The projects are aimed at providing Beijing access to markets in the Middle East, Europe, Africa and beyond through inland and sea routes by a web of highways and rail tracks through Pakistan.
“The big brother [China] doesn’t want any trouble, and has asked us to calm down,” said a Pakistani intelligence official, claiming there would be steps by both sides for de-escalation.
Irfan Shehzad, head of Islamabad-based think tank Eurasian Century Institute, said that for China, the stakes were too high to stay out of the conflict.
“The Chinese have not only offered mediation, but also reached out to both the countries,” he said.
“I think diplomatic relations will remain downgraded for the time being, but there won’t be any escalation. Both countries will lock it at 1-1," meaning one strike by each, said Shehzad, whose institute collaborates with Chinese counterparts.
On Wednesday, Pakistan expelled the Iranian ambassador and called back its envoy from Tehran.
Pakistan, a nuclear-capable Muslim nation, and Iran, believed to have tried to develop nuclear weapons, have a troubled relationship.
The two nations have been hostile to each other since the Iran-Iraq conflict in the 1980s.
