Iraq, Pakistan Recall Ambassadors After Deadly Iranian Attacks

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Facts

• In the wake of an unauthorized airstrike inside Pakistan that reportedly killed a six-year-old girl and an 11-month boy on Tuesday, Islamabad announced Wednesday that it had recalled its ambassador from Tehran and that the Iranian ambassador to Pakistan — who was visiting his own country — wouldn't be allowed to return.¹
• Iraq has also recalled its ambassador from Iran and filed a complaint against Iran at the UN Security Council following a missile and drone attack that hit Syria and Iraqi Kurdistan on Monday, reportedly killing a toddler in Erbil. Meanwhile, the Arab League is set to hold an emergency meeting.²
• Iranian state media attributed the strikes to its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, claiming that two bases of the Jaish al-Adl militant group were targeted in Pakistan's Baluchistan province while missiles fired into Syria and Iraq targeted the so-called Islamic State (IS) and an alleged Israeli spy headquarters, respectively.³
• The Sunni Baluch group Jaish al-Adl, which was founded roughly a decade ago, has pushed for Iran's eastern Sistan and Pakistan's southwestern Baluchistan to become independent, causing growing suspicion between both countries as multiple attacks have been carried out in recent years.⁴
• Pakistan's caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani condemned the attack in a phone call with Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, adding that his country reserves the right to respond to such a violation.⁵
• Concerns about conflict expanding across the Middle East have been running high since the Israel-Hamas war broke out following the Hamas Oct. 7 attack on Israel, with near-daily exchanges of fire between Lebanon's Hezbollah and Israel on their border and tensions mounting in the Red Sea as Yemen's Houthis fight the US-led international force created to protect shipping.⁶

Sources: ¹Washington Post, ²Iran International, ³Al Jazeera, ⁴ABC News, ⁵DAWN.COM and ⁶Independent.

Narratives

• Anti-Iran narrative, as provided by New York Times. Iran's recent missile attacks on Pakistan and Iraq — allegedly to fight terrorists — have heightened tensions in an already volatile region where its proxy military forces have caused much of the violence. Tehran is acting recklessly at a time when all parties should use restraint and respect the territorial integrity of its neighbors. De-escalation and coordinated action are essential to safeguard at least some stability.
• Pro-Iran narrative, as provided by Tehran Times. It is hardly Iran causing regional tensions to escalate as Tehran has only protected itself from terrorists operating within the territories of Pakistan and Iraq. While Iran respects their sovereignty and territorial integrity, it must maintain its own security when challenged by terrorists. Undoubtedly, Pakistan has not gone far enough to prevent terrorists from the Jaish al-Adl from striking Iran.

Predictions