Pakistan on Monday strongly denied Iranian claims that it had pledged to launch a nuclear strike against Israel if the latter attacked Iran with nuclear weapons. The denial came hours after Iranian General Mohsen Rezaei, a senior official of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and National Security Council member, made the statement on state television.

Rezaei asserted that “Pakistan has assured us that if Israel uses a nuclear bomb on Iran, they will attack Israel with a nuclear bomb,” calling for Muslim unity against Israel amid growing Middle East tensions.

However, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif categorically dismissed the claim as “fake news,” which he noted had also been circulated by British media. He emphasized that Pakistan’s nuclear capability is solely for national defense and not for regional aggression.

“Our nuclear capability is for the benefit of our people and the defense of our country against hostile designs. We do not pursue hegemonic policies, unlike Israel’s current actions,” Asif posted on X.

Earlier, Asif had warned the international community about the dangers of Israel’s unregulated nuclear arsenal, noting that Israel is not a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) or other global treaties.

Speaking in Pakistan’s National Assembly over the weekend, Asif voiced support for Iran and urged Muslim countries to sever diplomatic ties with Israel.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced ‘Operation Rising Lion,’ aimed at dismantling Iran’s nuclear capabilities. The operation and subsequent Iranian missile attacks on Saturday have further escalated regional tensions.

The claim by the Iranian general, followed by Pakistan’s sharp rebuttal, underscores the volatility of the Israel-Iran conflict and the broader geopolitical risks facing the Middle East.