Pakistan condemns US strikes on Iran after nominating Trump for Nobel Peace

Islamabad called the strikes a breach of international law and warned of wider conflict, hours after praising Trump for "averting war" between India and Pakistan

Pakistan on Sunday condemned the United States’ air strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, calling them a “violation of international law” and warning that the escalation could severely destabilise the region.

 

The statement by Pakistan’s Foreign Office came less than 24 hours after Islamabad formally proposed US President Donald Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, citing his diplomatic role in halting a military standoff between India and Pakistan.

 

“The US attacks on the nuclear facilities of Iran, which follow the series of attacks by Israel, are gravely concerning,” the FO said. “These attacks violate all norms of international law. Iran has the legitimate right to defend itself under the UN Charter.”

 

 

The US had struck Iran’s Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear sites early Sunday morning in what Trump described as an effort to dismantle Tehran’s nuclear programme. He also warned of additional strikes if Iran retaliated.

 

‘Deeply disturbing’ escalation, says Pakistan

 

Pakistan warned that the “unprecedented escalation of tensions and violence owing to ongoing aggression against Iran is deeply disturbing". It added that any further escalation would have “severely damaging implications for the region and beyond".

 

Calling for immediate de-escalation, Pakistan urged respect for civilian lives and property and proposed dialogue among all parties. “Recourse to dialogue and diplomacy in line with the principles and purposes of the UN Charter remains the only viable pathway to resolve the crises in the region,” it said.

 

Pakistan also stressed the need for "adherence to international humanitarian law" and warned against actions that could widen the conflict across the Middle East.

 

Praise for Trump just a day earlier

 

Islamabad’s sharp criticism of Washington comes in stark contrast to its praise for Trump just a day earlier. On Saturday, the Pakistan government said it would recommend Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his “decisive diplomatic intervention” in defusing recent tensions between India and Pakistan.

 

Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, had met Trump for lunch at the White House last week—the first such engagement between a US president and a serving Pakistani military leader. Munir reportedly thanked Trump for "mediating a ceasefire" during the four-day military exchange between India and Pakistan in April, which followed the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 Indians dead.

 

Trump, speaking to reporters after the meeting, said, “I stopped the war between Pakistan and India. This man [Munir] was extremely influential in stopping it from the Pakistani side. Modi from the Indian side… They are both nuclear countries. I got it stopped.”

 

No response from major Pakistani political parties

 

Despite the strong statement from the Foreign Office, leaders of Pakistan’s main political parties—the Pakistan Muslim League (N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party—have not issued any comments on the US strikes.

 

Munir was expected to use his White House visit to dissuade Trump from entering the Israel–Iran conflict, according to Reuters. Iran and Pakistan share close diplomatic ties, and part of the Iranian diplomatic mission in the US is represented through the Pakistani embassy in Washington, given the absence of formal US–Iran relations.  (With inputs from agencies)