Bilawal: Pakistan cannot afford Iran conflict to escalate into Iraq 2.0 or World War III

Former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said on Saturday that Pakistan cannot afford the ongoing conflict in Iran to turn into Iraq 2.0 or World War III.

Addressing a press conference in Brussels, Bilawal expressed deep concern over the worsening regional situation and warned that further escalation could have catastrophic consequences for neighboring countries, including Pakistan.

His comments followed fresh reports of Israeli airstrikes on Iranian territory earlier in the day. The strikes came in response to Iran’s overnight missile attacks, which Tehran launched after Israeli assaults on its nuclear sites killed several senior commanders. According to Iran’s UN envoy Amir Saeid Iravani, nearly 80 people were killed, including top military officers, and over 300 civilians were injured.

“We do not want a war on this border,” Bilawal asserted. “Pakistan has condemned the strikes over the past few days on our neighboring country. We will continue to advocate for peace on all our borders, whether with Afghanistan, Iran, or India.”

He further criticised the growing global tendency to resort to military solutions. 

“It has become far too easy to have a war every month,” he said. “War has become the default setting where every conflict or dispute escalates into full-scale war.”

Bilawal urged the international community to intervene swiftly. “We need an immediate ceasefire in this Iranian conflict with occupying forces in Palestine,” he said. “We cannot have perpetual war. It serves none of our interests.”