PNN: Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif has warned that the conflict involving Iran could have wider regional consequences for Pakistan, saying that the war is being driven by a Zionist agenda aimed at expanding Israeli influence towards Pakistan’s borders.
“Zionism is a threat to humanity. From the establishment of Israel on the land of Palestine until today, every catastrophe that has befallen the Islamic world, every war imposed upon it, will show the direct or indirect hand of Zionist ideology and the state,” he writes in a post on X.
He said that such a development could create a hostile alignment involving Afghanistan, Iran and India, leaving Pakistan surrounded by adversaries and placing its security under threat.
Asif added that Pakistanis of all political and religious backgrounds needed to recognise what he described as a wider conspiracy against the country. He argued that the proposed regional realignment would make Pakistan’s borders insecure and risk reducing the country to a “vassal state”. His remarks came as he linked the current conflict to long-standing regional tensions, framing it as part of a broader struggle involving Pakistan’s sovereignty and strategic position.
The minister also praised Pakistan’s nuclear deterrent and armed forces, paying tribute to the country’s martyrs and veterans, while commending former prime minister Nawaz Sharif for authorising the nuclear tests that declared Pakistan a nuclear power. He ended his message with prayers for unity in the Islamic world, support for Palestine, and continued strength and security for Pakistan.
“May Palestine be free. May our homeland remain strong and safe until the Day of Judgment.”
Iran-US/Israel war
The wider conflict has continued to intensify, with US President Donald Trump warning that a “big wave” of attacks on Iran was still to come while senior US officials said the campaign could take time and involve further casualties. Washington said its objective was to degrade Iran’s missiles, naval assets and wider security infrastructure, even as US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth insisted the operation would not become an “endless war”.
Fighting has also spread beyond Iran, with Israel saying it carried out strikes in Beirut targeting Hezbollah-linked sites and senior figures, after Hezbollah acknowledged launching missiles and drones towards Israel. Iranian state media reported fresh missile launches towards Israeli targets, while residents in Tehran and Beirut described explosions and panic as the confrontation widened across multiple fronts.
Gulf states, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, joined the United States in condemning Iranian missile and drone attacks across the region. Iran’s ambassador to the UN nuclear watchdog, meanwhile, said the Natanz nuclear facility had been hit in US-Israeli strikes.
The fallout is increasingly being felt beyond the battlefield. Shipping traffic in and around the Gulf has been disrupted, major Middle Eastern airports have faced closures, and hundreds of Iranians were seen crossing into Turkey as fears mounted over further escalation. The growing crisis has also raised political pressure in the United States, where polling cited in the report suggested only limited public backing for a prolonged military campaign.