Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has issued a stark warning to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, claiming that the “global order” is at risk of collapsing. The Iranian president made these comments in a high-stakes telephone conversation with PM Sharif on Wednesday. The Iranian president emphasized that unless the international community punishes the “real culprits” of the ongoing war in the Middle East, there will be a high chance of global instability.
The telephone conversation between PM Sharif and Iranian President Pezeshkian comes at a time when there is unprecedented instability in the Middle East, particularly after the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on February 28th.
The warning: The Iranian president told PM Sharif that unless there is immediate global intervention to address the “disastrous consequences” of the ongoing war in the Middle East, there will be further destabilization of the international system. Iranian Stance: The Iranian government has stated that the strikes by the US and Israel were unprovoked and a violation of international law.
Retaliation alert: The warning comes after the Iranian military issued statements pledging “forceful responses” to US and Israeli positions in the region.
Pakistan’s ‘neutrality’ under fire
Pakistan’s strategy has been to walk a tightrope for months, praising US President Donald Trump, reaffirming alliances with Saudi Arabia, and reaching out to Iran through diplomatic channels. However, Pakistan’s “carefully constructed system” is now coming apart at the seams because of the regional war.
‘The Trump factor‘: Pakistan’s bid to appease the new US regime is being put to the test after Trump calls for Iran’s “unconditional surrender.”
‘The Khamenei factor‘: The assassination has sparked protests and curfews in Gilgit-Baltistan after news of the Supreme Leader’s murder reached Pakistan, which has a 20% Shia population among its 250 million citizens.
Triple threat: The ‘commitment trap’ for Shehbaz Sharif
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is caught between three horns that are threatening to drag Pakistan directly into the crossfire:
‘The Saudi defence pact’: Pakistan signed a defense pact with Saudi Arabia in September 2025. After Iranian missile strikes on Saudi oil facilities and US bases earlier this week, Saudi Arabia has invoked the defense pact, putting pressure on Pakistan to provide defense support.
Domestic stability
Any attempt to militarily defend Saudi Arabia against Iran runs the risk of sparking sectarian unrest in its 50 million-strong population of Shia Muslims.
The Washington alignment
Islamabad is keen to sustain its rekindled ties with Washington to ensure economic survival, but siding with the US/Israel offensive would transform its 560-mile western border with Iran into a war zone.
A strategy of diversion?
There are claims that in order to prevent being caught in the “Iran Trap,” Pakistan is likely to step up military operations on its western border with Afghanistan. In this way, it hopes to justify its inaction in defending Saudi Arabia against Iran by focusing on the threat posed by the TTP (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan).
