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Pakistan expresses 'deep concern' over Middle East escalation, urges all sides to exercise restraint

Pakistan has called on all sides in the US-Iran conflict to exercise restraint, following the collapse of a ceasefire and renewed attacks. Both Al Jazeera and Dawn report Pakistan's diplomatic efforts, including a call with Iran's foreign minister, amid fresh strikes.

By Tertius News AI Desk 2 outlets · 2 articles Version 1 Coverage Jul 9–12, 2026 Published Aug 15

Lead

Pakistan has urged all parties in the renewed conflict between the United States and Iran to exercise restraint, after a fragile ceasefire that had held for nearly three weeks gave way to a new wave of strikes and counterstrikes. The appeal came from Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which stated that "a renewed conflict is in no one's interest" and called on both sides to honour their commitments under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), an agreement brokered by Pakistan.

According to reports from Al Jazeera and Dawn, the MoU is seen as an "enduring foundation for understanding, mutual respect and shared prosperity for the region and beyond." Pakistan said it "remains ready to continue playing its role" in de-escalation efforts. In parallel, Pakistan's Foreign Office expressed "deep concern" over the escalation, reiterating support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries in the region and urging immediate steps towards de-escalation.

The renewed fighting comes after weeks of tension punctuated by direct US strikes on Iran and Iranian responses. Pakistan's appeal was issued as the conflict continued to intensify, with Gulf countries also coming under attack, as reported by Dawn.

Coverage Comparison

Two reports from Al Jazeera and Dawn highlighted Pakistan's diplomatic push, each with slightly different focus. Al Jazeera's coverage emphasized the military escalation, providing specific details about the scale of US attacks and Iran's retaliation, while also noting that Pakistan's statement referred to the MoU. Dawn's report, on the other hand, placed additional emphasis on Pakistan's bilateral engagements, including a telephone call between Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

Al Jazeera noted that Pakistan had issued its appeal hours after the US carried out a second consecutive night of attacks on Iran, targeting about 90 sites. It also highlighted that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps responded with strikes on US bases in Kuwait and Bahrain. Dawn, meanwhile, reported that the Foreign Office statement came after fresh US strikes and Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz, though the two outlets aligned on the core message from Pakistan.

Key Claims

Pakistan has urged all parties to exercise restraint and uphold the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, in both its interests. (Reported by Al Jazeera and Dawn)
The Islamabad MoU was brokered by Pakistan to establish an enduring foundation for understanding, mutual respect, and regional prosperity. (Both sources)
The US conducted attacks on Iran, targeting approximately 90 sites, including coastal radar installations, missile and drone storage facilities, and naval assets. (Al Jazeera)
Iran responded with drone and missile attacks on US military bases in Kuwait and Bahrain, including the Fifth Fleet headquarters. (Al Jazeera)
The ceasefire was formally abandoned when Donald Trump declared it "over" and threatened a renewed naval blockade. (Al Jazeera)
Ishaq Dar held a telephone call with Iran's FM Abbas Araghchi to discuss the evolving regional situation. (Dawn)
The UAE was also hit in the latest barrage. (Dawn)

How each outlet told it

Al Jazeera as of Jul 9, 2026, 12:31 PM UTC

Framing: Pakistan urges restraint as US-Iran conflict escalates — Neutral, with a focus on the diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the situation

Facts Included:

Pakistan urges all parties to exercise restraint
Renewed conflict between US and Iran
Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) brokered by Pakistan
US carried out attacks on Iran, targeting 90 sites
Iran responded with drone and missile attacks on US military bases
Trump declared the ceasefire 'over' and threatened to reinstate a US naval blockade

Read the source article →

Dawn as of Jul 12, 2026, 5:30 PM UTC

Framing: Pakistan urges restraint as Middle East tensions escalate — Neutral, with a focus on Pakistan's diplomatic efforts

Facts Included:

Pakistan expresses deep concern over the ongoing escalation in the Middle East
US and Iran traded fresh strikes, with Gulf countries also coming under attack
Pakistan-mediated Islamabad MoU was signed between the US and Iran on June 18
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held a telephone call with Iran's FM Abbas Araghchi
The UAE was also hit in the latest barrage of attacks

Read the source article →

What was claimed, and who backed it

Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status counts the distinct outlets we found asserting it — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.

Claim	Confidence	Status
ClaimPakistan urges all parties to exercise restraint in the escalating United States-Iran conflict.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source quoted from Al Jazeera as of Jul 9, 2026, 12:31 PM UTC the outlets behind this status were not recorded for this claim
ClaimA renewed conflict between the US and Iran has occurred, with both sides launching attacks on each other.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source quoted from Al Jazeera as of Jul 9, 2026, 12:31 PM UTC the outlets behind this status were not recorded for this claim
ClaimThe Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was brokered by Pakistan to establish an enduring foundation for understanding, mutual respect, and shared prosperity in the region.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source quoted from Al Jazeera as of Jul 9, 2026, 12:31 PM UTC the outlets behind this status were not recorded for this claim
ClaimThe US carried out attacks on Iran, targeting about 90 sites, including coastal radar installations, missile and drone storage facilities, and naval assets.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Al Jazeera as of Jul 9, 2026, 12:31 PM UTC
ClaimIran responded with drone and missile attacks on US military bases in Kuwait and Bahrain.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Al Jazeera as of Jul 9, 2026, 12:31 PM UTC
ClaimTrump declared the ceasefire 'over' and threatened to reinstate a US naval blockade.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Al Jazeera as of Jul 9, 2026, 12:31 PM UTC
ClaimDeputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held a telephone call with Iran's FM Abbas Araghchi to discuss the evolving regional situation.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Dawn as of Jul 12, 2026, 5:30 PM UTC
ClaimThe UAE was also hit in the latest barrage of attacks.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Dawn as of Jul 12, 2026, 5:30 PM UTC

Transparency & Audit Trail

2 outlets · 2 articles consulted: Al Jazeera, Dawn 8 claims extracted Version 1 Written 2026-08-15