Pakistan said Wednesday it was “deeply concerned” by attempts to pull Saudi Arabia into the Middle East war and condemned the threats by the Yemen’s Houthis against the kingdom and Red Sea shipping.

“Pakistan is also deeply concerned over attempts to drag the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia into the conflict in the Middle East and reiterates its unwavering support for the security, sovereignty, territorial integrity and prosperity of the brotherly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” said the Foreign Ministry of Pakistan, a close security partner of the Saudis.

The statement comes after President Donald Trump said the United States was far from finished with Iran and warned the next US military target could be Pickaxe Mountain. Meanwhile, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth estimated the cost of the Iran war at $37.5 billion, confirming that the Pentagon needs additional funding to continue operations, as the exchange of strikes continues and fears of a wider conflict in the Middle East intensify.

“We’ll be hitting that area pretty soon, and very heavily,” Trump said, adding that he would not normally announce targets but “there’s not a thing they can do about it.”

Trump estimated it would take Iran more than 20 years to rebuild from current damage, addressing reporters during a White House meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.

“If we left right now, it would take Iran 20, 25 years to rebuild. Okay, and we’re not finished at all…we’re not leaving right now.”

Iran stepped up its strikes in the Middle East, two weeks after its war with the United States resumed, with Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain coming under attack.

Meanwhile, US Central Command said it has begun striking military targets in Iran for the “11th consecutive night,” as attacks in the Middle East war intensify.

“The strikes are designed to continue degrading Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,” CENTCOM said in a post on X, adding strikes began at 2300 GMT.

Meanwhile, the Jordanian army said it intercepted four Iranian missiles on Wednesday, adding that two others fell in an open area, as Tehran pressed its attacks across the region.

“Air defense systems today detected six missiles coming from Iranian territory,” the army said in a statement, adding that they “intercepted and downed four missiles, while the other two fell in two remote, uninhabited areas, without causing any human casualties or material damage”.

Iran threatened reprisals, with the Khatam Al-Anbiya military command saying it would “consider it as an expansion of war in the region” if such an attack were carried out, threatening strikes on “all the interests of America, the allies and supporters.” The warning came as Tehran broadened its offensive against US-allied Gulf states. (AFP/EIR)