Iran Offers to Mediate as Tensions Escalate Between India, Pakistan

News Desk

Islamabad: As diplomatic and military tensions rise between India and Pakistan following Tuesday’s deadly terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Iran has offered to mediate between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.

Invoking centuries-old civilizational ties, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi described both India and Pakistan as “brotherly neighbours” and expressed Tehran’s readiness to assist in easing the situation.

“India and Pakistan are brotherly neighbours of Iran, enjoying relations rooted in centuries-old cultural and civilizational ties. Like other neighbours, we consider them our foremost priority,” Araghchi said in a statement issued on Friday. “Tehran stands ready to use its good offices in Islamabad and New Delhi to forge greater understanding at this difficult time.”

His remarks were accompanied by a quote from the renowned 13th-century Persian poet Saadi Shirazi’s Bani Adam, emphasizing human unity and empathy:

“Human beings are members of a whole,

In creation of one essence and soul,

If one member is afflicted with pain,

Other members uneasy will remain.”

The iconic verse was notably cited by former US President Barack Obama in a 2009 address to the Iranian people.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has also called for restraint. The Saudi Foreign Ministry confirmed that Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan held separate telephone conversations with India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar to discuss the evolving situation.

“Had a telecon with Foreign Minister @FaisalbinFarhan of Saudi Arabia. Discussed the Pahalgam terrorist attack and its cross-border linkages,” Mr. Jaishankar posted on X (formerly Twitter).

The diplomatic overtures come amid heightened fears of further escalation between the two South Asian rivals. On Tuesday, 26 tourists were killed in a terrorist attack in the town of Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir. India has blamed Pakistan-based groups for orchestrating the assault with alleged cross-border support — a claim Islamabad has strongly denied.

In response to New Delhi’s accusations, Pakistan retaliated on Thursday by closing its airspace to Indian commercial flights and suspending all bilateral trade, including trade routed through third countries.

The situation remains fluid, with international calls for calm intensifying amid concerns over the potential for conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.