Iran attack didn’t target Pakistani nationals, but Iranian terrorists: FM Amir-Abdollahian

Iran’s foreign minister says the country’s Tuesday missile attack on areas in Pakistan adjacent to Iranian borders was directed at the so-called Jaish al-Adl terrorist group and no Pakistani national was targeted.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said members of the terrorist group are Iranians who have taken shelters in Pakistan and that Tehran had repeatedly warned Islamabad to prevent their anti-Iran cross-border operations.

“None of the nationals of the friendly and brotherly country of Pakistan were targeted by Iranian missiles and drones,” he said.

“The so-called Jaish al-Adl group, which is an Iranian terrorist group, was targeted,” he said, adding that this was a response to the recent attacks on Iran by the group, which he said is linked to Israel.

Jaish al-Adl, which was formed in 2012, has carried out several attacks on Iranian soil in recent years.

The group claimed responsibility for an attack in December on a police station in the southeastern city of Rask that killed at least 11 Iranian police officers. On January 10, another attack by the group on a police station in the city killed a policeman.

On Tuesday, Iran launched simultaneous drone and missile attacks into two bases of Jaish al-Adl.

The strike came after Iran launched missile attacks on spy headquarters and terrorist targets in Syria, and in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region.

‘Attacks meant to boost regional security’

The minister also touched on Iran’s attack into Iraq’s Kurdistan region, saying they were retaliation for recent anti-Iran attacks staged by Israel’s Mossad.

The Iranian minister said Tehran has shared intelligence with Iraq about Mossad activities in Iraq’s Kurdistan, adding that Israel is an enemy of both Iraq and Iran.

He cited a 2023 security pact between Iran and Iraq, saying it obliges Iraqi officials not to allow Iran’s security to be threatened from their soil.

The top Iranian diplomat said Iran respected the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Pakistan and Iraq but would strongly react to any attack on its national security.