US-Iran tension
US-Iran tension
Editorial
Editorial

The US recently presented a military plan to the president’s top national security aides that calls for up to 120,000 troops deploying to the Middle East and a potential crippling cyber-attack on Iran’s infrastructure should Iran speed up its nuclear program or attack U.S. forces.

The US recently presented a military plan to the president’s top national security aides that calls for up to 120,000 troops deploying to the Middle East and a potential crippling cyber-attack on Iran’s infrastructure should Iran speed up its nuclear program or attack U.S. forces.

Details of the briefing were, which cited more than half a dozen American national security officials, granted anonymity, who have been briefed on the updated plans.

Recently, The United States announced harsh new sanctions on Iran as tensions surge between the decades-long rivals. President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Wednesday to sanction Iran’s steel, aluminium, copper and iron sectors, which provide crucial foreign currency earnings for its crippled economy. Trump also threatened further action unless Tehran “fundamentally” changed its behaviour.

On the other hand, The Iran-Arab conflict is intensifying with every passing day and it is heading towards and head-on collision if the world community failed to intervene and reversed the process. All the western warships were found engaged in military exercises regularly demonstrating their preparedness to face any eventuality. Iran had off and on criticized the US naval presence in the region and seeks a US withdrawal of forces from the area.

Pakistan is closely observing the ongoing tensions between Iran and the United States but will not join any camp in case of a conflict, Speaking to reporters after attending a meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Qureshi said Pakistan was concerned over the rising tensions between Tehran and Washington.

He said that any conflict could have negative implications for the entire region, including Pakistan. “Therefore, we need to evolve a clear strategy on this,” the minister said. He, however, made it clear that Pakistan would not join any camp in the ongoing tensions in the Gulf.

The US warning had a shocking effect on Pakistan also as the main Iran-Pakistan Gas Pipeline Project will be in jeopardy in case of tension between Iran and the United States increase further. Pakistan intends to buy several thousands of megawatts of electricity from Iran.

Purchase of electricity from Iran may not perturb the Pakistani establishment merely because the project is “Balochistan specific” on which Islamabad had least interest. For the past two decades, negotiations are on and Memorandum of Understanding between the two countries which were signed more than a dozen time in the past with no effect till today.

The war between Iran and US had increased during the past few days raising tension between the two old rivals in the region. There is a serious risk of outbreak of hostilities between US and Iran and it can spill over to the Pakistani side of the Mekran Coast or the US might attempt to use Pakistani coast against Iran in case of war.

Naturally, Pakistan will not allow the Americans to use its territories in any hostile act against Iran. Such a refusal may strongly offend the United States, the supreme power in this region to the disadvantage of our country.

The US threat may also hamper the speedy recovery of the Iranian economy combating inflation and higher cost of living besides strengthening its currency. It is highly interesting that the Mekran Coastal region is presumably exempted from US sanctions where Japan, India, South Korea and other countries of the Western world are making massive investment for development of Chah Bahar Port. The investment from the capitalist countries is close to Rs 100 billion dollars on the Mekran Coast under Iran.

The unfolding situation is dangerous and it’s incendiary, to say the least. Both U.S and Iran must act now to prevent a cycle of inadvertent consequences in the near future.