THIS is with reference to the article ‘Legal vs political neutrality’ (April 4). The claim that Iran’s actions have eroded its diplomatic standing in the Gulf looks less like an exercise in analysis and more a troubling reflection of bias. For the last 47 years, Iran has been under extremely stringent and unjust ‘international’ sanctions. If that was not enough, Iran got attacked by Israel and the United States in June last year when its military as well as civilian targets were hit. Against all recognised norms, Iran was attacked again on Feb 28 this year by the US and Israel despite the fact that negotiations between the former and Iran were in progress. Civilian infrastructure was attacked, including residential areas, hospitals and even schools, resulting in thousands of casualties. A deliberate attack by the US on a school left more than 165 young girls dead. Indeed, many of these operations were launched from US military bases in the Gulf states; an inconvenient fact the said article chose to ignore.

Instead, the said article singled out Iran for alleged attacks on civilians, when in reality the strikes attributed to it have largely targeted strategic infrastructure, such as American bases and airport facilities that are inherently dual-use entities supporting military operations. To equate such actions with deliberate attacks on civilians is inaccurate and an act of intellectual dishonesty. Selective outrage and omission of context do not make for credible commentary. Consistent standards should be applied to all actors, not just those that fit a preferred narrative.

Khushnood Ali Baz
Peshawar

Published in Dawn, May 11th, 2026