Big Picture: Pakistan’s Nuclear Posturing in Iran-Israel Conflict Raises Fresh Alarms
Pakistan has inserted itself into the escalating crisis of the Iran-Israel conflict. It has issued nuclear threats that underscore its growing role as a destabilizing force in South Asia.
In a televised interview on Iranian state media, senior Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps general and National Security Council member Mohsen Rezaei claimed that Islamabad has assured Tehran it would retaliate with nuclear weapons against Israel should Tel Aviv deploy its own nuclear arsenal on Iranian soil.
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| File Photo: 26/11 Pak Orchestrated Terror Attack |
“Pakistan has told us that if Israel uses nuclear missiles, we will also attack it with nuclear weapons,” Rezaei said, according to Turkiye Today.
While no Pakistani official has publicly confirmed such a commitment, the statement aligns with Islamabad’s long-standing practice of using nuclear blackmail to project influence far beyond its conventional military capacity.
Pakistan’s vow to “stand behind Iran” and its appeals for Muslim unity against Israel following the Israeli strikes have further showed the dangerous rhetoric emanating from Islamabad.
The conflict, which escalated sharply after Israel’s targeted strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities on June 13, continues with ongoing missile and drone exchanges between Tehran and Tel Aviv.
Pakistan’s nuclear posturing in the Iran-Israel confrontation is part of a pattern that poses a persistent threat to regional stability, particularly in South Asia.
For years, Pakistan has used the threat of nuclear escalation to shield its state-sponsored support for terrorism directed at India. Despite repeated international warnings, Islamabad continues to provide safe haven to UN-designated terrorists, while numerous training camps for extremist groups remain operational within its territory.
These camps have served as launchpads for repeated cross-border attacks that are aimed at destabilizing Indian security, including major terrorist strikes in Jammu and Kashmir.
India has responded firmly in the recent past, including through precision airstrikes targeting terrorist infrastructure deep inside Pakistani territory.
In each instance, Islamabad has predictably fallen back on its nuclear rhetoric, threatening disproportionate retaliation while conveniently ignoring its own complicity in nurturing terror networks.
Pakistan’s use of nuclear brinkmanship as diplomatic leverage is first and foremost unsustainable. It raises serious questions about its long-term capacity to endure the consequences of the threats it routinely issues.
WHAT!? Pakistan told Iran that “if Israel drops a nuclear bomb in Tehran, we will drop a nuclear bomb on them.”
— Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) June 15, 2025
— Iranian National Security Council member Mohsen Rezaei pic.twitter.com/WbM8zdK6fB
Islamabad’s willingness to extend its nuclear threats into a conflict involving Israel and Iran now adds a new and dangerous dimension to its global posture. At a time when the world is grappling with multiple conflicts, Pakistan’s illegitimate behaviour exposes the fragility of non-proliferation efforts and calls for the urgent need for international scrutiny.
Its increasingly aggressive nuclear signaling, coupled with its well-documented sponsorship of terrorism, strengthens the case for greater global intervention to prevent Pakistan from continuing to use its nuclear arsenal as a tool of coercion.
With Pakistan’s nuclear program now being indirectly tied into a major Middle East conflict, the risk of its unchecked blackmail tactics spilling into broader global crises grows ever more serious.
The international community can no longer afford to overlook Islamabad’s behaviour. Placing Pakistan’s nuclear program under tighter international oversight is a global imperative, something that, among others, the White House, should immediately take note of. The current US President has only encouraged the Pakistani sponsorship of terrorism by his repeated attempts to hyphenate India and Pakistan.
(Saket Suman is the author of The Psychology of a Patriot. Among other roles, he was a Special Correspondent at The Times of India and the head of Arts/Books/Culture verticals of what was India's largest independent newswire.)
(Views Expressed Are Author's Own and Do Not Reflect The Views of This News Outlet)