Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday said he has told US President Donald Trump that a war with Iran would have disastrous consequences.
Asked whether Trump agreed with him, Khan said the US President did not say anything but he probably understood what he meant.
“Afghanistan is yet to be resolved and Iran would be much bigger (if war starts),” Khan said.
Khan met Trump on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) summit here on Tuesday.
Tensions between the US and Iran have escalated in the wake of the killing of powerful Iranian commander General Qasem Soleimani by America on January 3.
“If there is conflict between Iran and the Western world it will be a disaster – it will cause poverty in the world – and who knows how long it may go on. In my opinion it would be insanity,” Khan said.
“I spoke to President Trump yesterday and I told him it would be a disaster,” Khan said.
The Pakistan Prime Minister also said he does not understand why countries try to resolve their differences through military conflicts.
“The moment you start a military conflict, you don’t know where it will finish. It has unintended consequences,” he said.
After meeting Khan, Trump on Tuesday had said the US is watching the developments between India and Pakistan over Kashmir “very closely” and repeated his offer to “help” resolve the longstanding dispute between the two neighbours.
Trump told Khan, whom he referred to as “my friend”, that he would speak to Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the ongoing Kashmir issue. Trump is expected to visit India in the coming weeks, marking his first visit after assuming office.
“What’s going on between Pakistan and India … if we can help, we certainly will be willing to. We have been watching it very closely and it’s an honour to be here with my friend,” Trump had said.
“The Pakistan-India conflict is a very big issue for us in Pakistan and we expect the US to always play its part in deescalating the tensions, because no other country can,” Khan had said.
Trump has repeatedly offered to mediate following India’s August 5 decision to revoke the special status to Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcate the state into two Union Territories, evoking strong reactions from Pakistan which has been trying to internationalise the issue.
However, New Delhi has told Washington that it is a bilateral matter between India and Pakistan and there is no scope for any third-party mediation.