President Masoud Pezeshkian and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif discussed the escalating military situation in the region during a telephone conversation. During the call, Pezeshkian urged the international community and global organisations to investigate the root causes of the airstrikes on Iran that triggered the current conflict.Pezeshkian warned that failing to conduct such an inquiry could further undermine international security.According to Reuters, the Iranian president also emphasised that Tehran has no intention of attacking neighbouring countries or engaging in broader confrontation with states in the region.
Conflict widens across the regionThe latest diplomatic exchange comes amid an intensifying conflict that erupted after the United States and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran on February 28 following stalled negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear programme.Iran subsequently retaliated with missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and US military assets in the region.On the first day of the strikes, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and several senior military officials were killed. On March 8, the country’s assembly of experts elected Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran’s third supreme leader.Sharif, according to reports, also expressed condolences over the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and congratulated his son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, on assuming leadership.Between March 1 and March 5, the confrontation spread across multiple parts of the Middle East, raising fears of a wider regional war.
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Energy markets and shipping routes under pressureSince the war began, Iran has reported the death of 1,300 civilians within 11 days. Scores have also been killed in Israeli attacks on Lebanon, while Iranian strikes on Israel have killed at least 11 people. Seven Americans have been killed and more than 140 injured since the conflict began. Meanwhile, Iran’s UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani said on Tuesday that US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran have destroyed nearly 10,000 civilian sites, including 65 schools and educational institutions and almost 8,000 homes since the war began on February 28.The hostilities have also put significant pressure on regional energy infrastructure and maritime trade routes.Heightened security tensions around the strategic Strait of Hormuz have driven a sharp rise in global oil prices, while several countries have advised their citizens to leave the region amid growing uncertainty.
