Pakistan warns against escalation in Iran crisis, urges diplomacy

WASHINGTON: Pakistan has warned that the situation surrounding Iran’s nuclear programme has sharply deteriorated, urging all sides to exercise restraint and resolve the dispute through diplomacy amid continued hostilities and divisions within the UN Security Council. Speaking at a council briefing on Iran and nuclear non-proliferation on Tuesday, Pakistan’s Acting Permanent Representative, Ambassador Usman Jadoon, said mounting tensions and a lack of consensus had made a diplomatic settlement more urgent. “Pakistan remains concerned that the situation regarding the Iran nuclear file has…