Pakistani president condemns US-Israeli attacks on Iran

Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday condemned the US-Israeli attacks on Iran, emphasizing the need to "exercise maximum restraint, to uphold international law, and to respect the territorial integrity of all brotherly nations."

"We strongly condemn the war being waged on Iran while negotiations were under way…. We have reaffirmed our support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our brotherly nation," Zardari said, while addressing the joint sitting of the parliament in the capital Islamabad.

Pakistan, he added, was "deeply" concerned about recent developments in the Middle East, adding that Islamabad had always sought to prevent unilateral attacks on any country.

He also condemned the retaliatory attacks launched by Iran on several Gulf nations, calling for a "negotiated solutions that choose peace and restraint," to save the region from a "deepening crisis."

"The sooner stability returns to the region, the sooner the world can go back to the business of rebuilding lives and fractured trust. I urge the need to exercise maximum restraint, to uphold international law, and to respect the territorial integrity of all brotherly nations," Zardari said.

The joint US-Israeli attacks have killed several senior Iranian officials, including Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, since Saturday.

Tehran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting US-linked sites in Gulf countries, resulting in several deaths. Four US service members have been killed and four others seriously wounded.

According to the Iranian Red Crescent, the death toll from the US and Israeli airstrikes since Saturday has climbed to 555.