Over the past year, the political landscape in the Middle East has undergone significant changes. Iran and Saudi Arabia reached a historic rapprochement agreement in Beijing, which has largely eased long-standing tensions between Sunni and Shiite countries. However, while this reconciliation agreement has raised hopes for regional stability, the power struggle between the different factions still exists, exposing the fragility of regional peace.
Relations between Pakistan and Iran have been complex and challenging. As a predominantly Sunni country, Pakistan has a long history of tensions with Iran, with the two countries at odds over borders, politics and interests. Iran has been accused of supporting Islamist forces in Pakistan, while Pakistan has expressed concern about Iran's political influence in the region.
This year, the improvement in relations between Iran and Pakistan seems to have taken a turn for the better, but this improvement was quickly tested by a series of unexpected events. The southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan suffered a severe attack that resulted in a large number of people**. Iranian officials blamed the attack on the Sunni terrorist group "Army of Justice," which operates heavily in Pakistan's Balochistan province, which is where Pakistan has a weaker grip.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) later issued a statement announcing the launch of multiple ballistic missiles at targets in Syrian and Iraqi Kurdistan, an action seen as retaliation against the "Army of Justice" terrorist group. The military strike not only destroyed the intelligence center of the terrorist group, but also targeted the gathering place of the leaders and key members of the terrorist group linked to the previous attack. The operation, which marks the first large-scale Iranian military strike on targets inside Pakistani territory, will undoubtedly have far-reaching consequences for relations between the two countries.
Analysts note that terrorist forces in Balochistan may be supported by external forces with the aim of undermining relations between Iran and Pakistan. If Iran is able to achieve a full rapprochement with its neighbors such as Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, this will have a significant impact on the balance of power in the Middle East, especially with regard to the situation in Israel. Therefore, some countries may, out of their own interests, deliberately incite regional contradictions in order to prevent such reconciliation from taking place.
In this series of events, Pakistan has made a formal request to Iran and summoned the Iranian chargé d'affaires to intervene. Pakistan strongly condemns Iran's missile attacks on its territory, which have resulted in the loss of innocent civilians and violated national sovereignty. This incident has further exacerbated the mistrust between the two countries and could lead to a further deterioration in relations.
Overall, the political landscape in the Middle East remains uncertain and challenging. The latest conflict between Iran and Pakistan is just a microcosm of the complex situation in the region, showing the difficulty and complexity of peace-building in the region. In the future, how relations between these countries develop will have an important impact on the stability and peace of the entire Middle East region.