A car leaves the district headquarter hospital in Panjgur town of Balochistan, Pakistan on Jan 17, 2024 where victims of an Iranian air strike were moved. (PHOTO / AFP)

TEHRAN / ISLAMABAD - Pakistan carried out a missile strike on a border village in the southeastern Iranian province of Sistan and Baluchestan on Thursday morning, killing seven foreign nationals, Iran's official news agency IRNA reported.

IRNA cited Alireza Marhamati, provincial deputy governor for security and law enforcement, in its report.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani condemned the Pakistani strike, saying that the Iranian Foreign Ministry had summoned the Pakistani charge d'affaires in Tehran and asked for the Pakistani government's explanation regarding the incident

Marhamati said the victims were three female foreign citizens and four children, adding that several blasts had been heard near Saravan County at 4:05 am local time (0035 GMT) and that investigations showed that Pakistan had targeted one of Iran's border villages in a missile strike.

In a statement, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani condemned the Pakistani strike, saying that the Iranian Foreign Ministry had summoned the Pakistani charge d'affaires in Tehran and asked for the Pakistani government's explanation regarding the incident.

The Pakistani strikes came after Iran's attack on Tuesday which killed two children and injured another three in Pakistan's Balochistan province. Pakistan condemned "Iran's violation of its airspace" and recalled its ambassador from Iran.

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The Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the attack in a statement on Thursday, saying the country "undertook a series of highly coordinated and specifically targeted precision military strikes against terrorist hideouts in Sistan and Baluchestan province of Iran".

"A number of terrorists were killed during the intelligence-based operation," it said.

"Pakistan fully respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The sole objective of today's act was in pursuit of Pakistan's own security and national interest, which is paramount and cannot be compromised," the ministry said, adding that "Iran is a brotherly country and the people of Pakistan have great respect and affection for the Iranian people."

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the Pakistan army, said that the precision strikes were carried out by "using killer drones, rockets, loitering munitions, and stand-off weapons," adding that "maximum care was taken to avoid collateral damage."

The ISPR said that an intelligence-based operation struck the hideouts used by "notorious terrorists of the organizations, namely Balochistan Liberation Army and Balochistan Liberation Front."

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"Pakistan Armed Forces remain in a perpetual state of readiness to ensure the safety of Pakistan citizens against acts of terrorism," said the ISPR, adding that resolve remains unwavering in ensuring that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Pakistan is respected and safeguarded against any misadventure.

The military said that dialogue and cooperation are deemed prudent in resolving bilateral issues between the two neighboring brotherly countries.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said late Wednesday that his country pays great attention to neighboring Pakistan's sovereignty and territorial integrity during phone talks with his Pakistani counterpart Jalil Abbas Jilani.

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The two sides discussed Iran's "anti-terrorist" operations on Tuesday against the Jaish al-Zulm group in Pakistan, according to a statement published on the Iranian Foreign Ministry's website.