UNITED NATIONS - With Israeli and US threats to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities in mind, a senior Pakistani diplomat warned against any actions that could escalate tensions in the region as he stressed the need for a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear issue.“Given the delicate and complex regional environment, Pakistan, as a neighbouring country of Iran, does not wish any escalation of tensions in an already volatile region. We therefore reaffirm the need for dialogue and diplomacy,” Ambassador Raza Bashir Tarar, Pakistan’s deputy permanent representative to the UN, told the 15-nation council.Speaking after the Council members were briefed by the head of the Committee charged with monitoring sanctions imposed on Iran over its nuclear programme — the so-called ‘1737 Committee’- he urged that the international community look beyond sanctions and towards dialogue as the best way to come to an agreement on the Iran nuclear issue. “Security Council sanctions are but one means of resolving” that matter, the Pakistan envoy added. “We reiterate our view that Security Council sanctions should not be pursued as an end in themselves. These need to be harmonized with the larger goals set by the Council i.e. facilitating a negotiated resolution of outstanding issues,” he added.The US and the European Union (EU) claim that Iran is trying to build nuclear weapons. But Tehran says the programme is strictly for peaceful purposes.Pakistan was confident that the Committee, the Council and the Panel of Experts, who monitor the sanctions, would maintain the balance between sanctions and negotiations, Tarar said.