KARACHI, Pakistan

Pakistan's top security body on Monday called for "diplomacy" and "dialogue" to end the festering Israel-Iran hostilities, reaffirming Tehran's right to self-defense.

The "emergency" meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) was held in the capital, Islamabad, to review the evolving Middle East situation following Israeli aggression against Iran.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired the meeting, while the three service chiefs, including army chief Gen. Asim Munir, and senior Cabinet members attended the meeting, a statement from the premier's office said.

The committee "strongly" condemned Israel's acts of aggression and expressed regret that these military attacks coincided with a "constructive" negotiation process between Iran and the US.

Munir attended the meeting after US President Donald Trump hosted him at the White House last week.

The "reckless Israeli actions have escalated tensions, threatening to ignite a wider conflict and diminishing the opportunities for dialogue and diplomacy," the NSC said, reaffirming Iran's right to self-defense as enshrined in the UN Charter.

While reiterating Pakistan’s stated position, the NSC expressed "grave" concern over the potential for further escalation after the US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, which violated the resolutions of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), relevant international law, and the UN Charter.

Islamabad had earlier condemned the US over its attacks on Iran.

The NSC reaffirmed Pakistan’s close engagement with relevant parties and endorsed its readiness to further efforts and initiatives aimed at promoting regional peace and stability.

The meeting called on all relevant parties to resolve the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy, in line with the UN Charter, underscoring the need to adhere to international human rights and humanitarian laws.

On Sunday, US President Donald Trump said American forces bombed Iran’s Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear sites.

The US deployed six B-2 bombers to drop 12 bunker-buster bombs on the Fordo facility, while two were dropped on Natanz, along with dozens of submarine-launched cruise missiles targeting Natanz and Isfahan.

The attacks marked a sharp escalation in a US-backed Israeli military campaign against Iran that began on June 13, prompting retaliatory Iranian missile strikes on Israel.

Israeli authorities said at least 25 people have been killed and hundreds injured from Iranian missile attacks.

In Iran, at least 430 people have been killed and more than 3,500 wounded in the Israeli assault, according to the Iranian Health Ministry.