Iran urges restraint, immediate ceasefire as Afghanistan–Pakistan fighting escalates

Iran’s Foreign Ministry has called on Pakistan and Afghanistan to engage in immediate dialogue to halt the fighting and reduce tensions as cross-border clashes between the two countries intensify.

In a statement on Friday, the ministry expressed its deep concern over the escalation of the conflict between the two neighboring and Muslim countries and its security and humanitarian consequences.

“The conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan has not only caused human casualties and material losses for the two neighboring countries but will also exacerbate insecurity in the surrounding region and lead to humanitarian and security consequences for the entire region,” it added.

The Islamic Republic once again calls on both sides to respect each other's territorial integrity and national sovereignty and to refrain from any action that could escalate tensions and conflict, the ministry emphasized.

According to the statement, Iran also expresses its readiness to help reduce tensions and facilitate dialogue between Kabul and Islamabad to completely end military conflict and achieve understanding.

Pakistan and Afghanistan have seen fierce clashes since Thursday night. Pakistan bombed several cities in Afghanistan, including the capital Kabul, on Friday, after Afghan forces attacked Pakistani border troops on Thursday night.

Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif described the situation as “open war” between Pakistan and Afghanistan’s Taliban government, as fighting persists along the frontier.

Earlier, Taliban government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said Afghan forces were conducting “large-scale offensive operations” against the Pakistani military “along the Durand Line” that separates the two countries.

Pakistan said 274 Taliban fighters had been killed and that two of its security personnel died in the clashes. Afghan authorities, meanwhile, reported that 55 Pakistani soldiers were killed and eight of their fighters died.

The casualty figures could not be independently verified.

Taliban officials described the operation as a "retaliatory" measure against recent Pakistani airstrikes earlier in the week, which they claimed killed at least 18 people, including civilians, in eastern Afghan border regions. Islamabad said the attacks targeted alleged militant camps and hideouts near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

Iran urges Afghanistan, Pakistan to hold dialogue amid new escalation

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has urged Afghanistan and Pakistan to hold talks to settle their disputes, as the neighboring countries are engaged in an “open war”.

In a post on X on Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi urged Afghanistan and Pakistan to hold talks to settle their disputes.

“In the blessed month of Ramadan, a month of self-restraint and strengthening solidarity in the Islamic World, it’s fitting for Afghanistan and Pakistan to manage and resolve their existing differences within the framework of good neighborliness and through dialogue,” Araghchi said.

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