Iran, Pakistan Tentative in Attacking Each Other — So Far

Several points of contention between a Sunni-majority, nuclear-armed Islamist state, Pakistan, and a near-nuclear one that sees itself as leader of all Shiites and all Islam, Iran, have the potential to ignite a major conflagration in South Asia and beyond.

AP/Anjum Naveed
A police officer stands guard outside Pakistan's foreign affairs ministry at Islamabad, January 18, 2024, after Pakistan's air force launched retaliatory airstrikes on Iran. AP/Anjum Naveed

Like top boxers feeling each other out in the early moments of a bout, Iran and Pakistan are exchanging fire, but very carefully — at least for now. Several points of contention between a Sunni-majority, nuclear-armed Islamist state, Pakistan, and a near-nuclear one that sees itself as leader of all Shiites and all Islam, Iran, have the potential to ignite a major conflagration in South Asia and beyond. 

After bombing so-called terrorist targets near the Pakistani border inside Iran Thursday, Islamabad was eager to stress that the Islamic Republic was not the intended victim. “Iran is a brotherly country and the people of Pakistan have great respect and affection for the Iranian people,” the Pakistani foreign ministry said in a statement. 

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