HYDERABAD,JUNE 24 — Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday strongly defended Iran’s right to possess ballistic missiles, saying Tehran’s missile program was never part of the peace deal between the United States (US) and Iran brokered by Islamabad.
He argued that Iran should not be subjected to double standards regarding its missile capabilities.
Speaking during talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and his high-level delegation in Islamabad, Shehbaz said the issue of Iran’s ballistic missiles was never part of the discussions that led to the memorandum of understanding (MoU) reached between Iran and the US on June 17.
“There can be no double standard when some countries are allowed to have ballistic missiles while Iran is not.”
“This MoU does not mention anything about ballistic missiles.
“It was never discussed and it was never on the agenda,” the Pakistani Prime Minister said, adding that the Iranian side “never wanted to discuss” the missile issue.
Shehbaz’s action to defend Iran’s missile program came at a time when Tehran considers its missile capabilities important to national security following the attacks launched by Israel and the US on Feb 28.
Before helping in the mediation efforts that led to the US-Iran deal this month, Pakistan also facilitated a temporary ceasefire between the two sides in April.
Shehbaz said he was grateful to Iran for the trust placed in Pakistan’s mediation efforts, which also involved the active role of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir.
“I am deeply grateful to you and the Iranian leadership for placing continued trust in Pakistan’s ability to mediate honestly and sincerely,” he said.
“I want to assure you that as brothers, we will not let you down,” Shehbaz told the Iranian president, according to a statement posted on the prime minister’s Facebook page.
However, Shehbaz said there were certain parties trying to prevent the US and Iran from reaching an agreement.
“There are troublemakers all over the world who want to derail this peace agreement,” he said.
Israel has emerged as the greatest obstacle to peace in West Asia, with its continued attacks causing death and destruction in Lebanon and occupied Palestine.
US President Donald Trump recently acknowledged that Iran could possess ballistic missiles.
“I said that if other countries have ballistic missiles, it would be a bit unfair if Iran wasn’t allowed to have them,” Trump told reporters in Paris on June 17.
In a press conference with Shehbaz, Pezeshkian stressed that Iran’s defense capabilities are non-negotiable.
“If the missiles we have to defend the country did not exist, Israel and America would destroy Iran as they did in Gaza without showing mercy to the old or the young,” Pezeshkian said.
— BERNAMA
![KUALA LUMPUR, JUNE 24 -- The Child Protection Code (CPC) sets out a safe, practical and responsible age verification mechanism to ensure that only eligible users are allowed to access social media platforms. Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said the CPC together with the Risk Reduction Code (RMC) were published by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) on May 22, and came into effect on June 1 under the Online Safety Act 2025 [Act 866]. He said both codes aim to create a safer online environment, particularly to protect children from online risks and harm. "Under the CPC, licensed service providers offering social media services are required to implement an age verification mechanism, rather than identity verification, to ensure compliance with the minimum age limit set. "Users who have reached the age of 16 are allowed to register and have social media accounts, while individuals under that age are not allowed to open or have social media accounts until they reach the specified age," he said during a question and answer session at the Dewan Rakyat, today. He was answering Syahredzan Johan's (PH-Bangi) original question regarding the purpose of implementing age verification for social media accounts, as well as measures to ensure access to personal data is restricted and deleted after use. Fahmi said the implementation of the mechanism should be done safely, practically and respectful of user privacy, in line with the requirements set out under the CPC. Social media service providers are also required to ensure that the process complies with laws relating to personal data protection, including the principles of data minimization, and purpose limitation by limiting data collection to information necessary for age verification purposes and disposing of it upon completion. He said the age verification mechanism should be implemented based on official documents issued by the Malaysian Government such as MyKad, passport, birth certificate or other documents recognised by the government. "To ensure that the age verification mechanism is not manipulated, age verification must be supported by official government records and not just self-declaration." "The CPC also allows the use of other documents recognised by the Malaysian Government, including equivalent records issued by competent authorities in other jurisdictions so that access to online protection can be provided equitably to all children regardless of their documentation status," he said. Fahmi said the implementation of age verification does not permanently prevent children from using social media, but rather postpones account ownership until they reach the age of 16, and have a more appropriate level of maturity to use the platform safely and responsibly. He said the approach known as the "Wait 16" initiative was introduced to protect children and families from online risks and harm. -- BERNAMA](https://minutesmy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/TB_Fahmi-Fadzil-Dewan-Rakyat_BERNAMA-1024x576.webp)
