Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said a US-Iran war would be a 'disaster' and questioned the sanity of those who recommend conflicts

Jonathan Ernst / REUTERS

• Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan believes a conflict between the United States and Iran would be a "disaster."

• The ripple effects of such a decision would be felt around the world, particularly by developing countries.

• "There's no way — no sane mind should ever think of another conflict," Khan said.

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Pakistan's leader Imran Khan didn't mince his words on Wednesday upon being asked if he is concerned by tensions brewing between the United States and Iran.

A war "would be a disaster," he said during an interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, for all countries involved — even those, like Pakistan, who are not directly in the proverbial line of fire.

"Oil prices would shoot up," Khan predicted, adding that Pakistan is "sort of barely balancing" its budget.

The ripple effects of a conflict "would cause a lot of pain across the world, especially to poorer countries," Khan said.

Conflicts are not one-and-done scenarios; they tend to drag on for years, he said, prompting him to question "whoever recommends going into conflict."

In the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks, Khan opposed Pakistan joining the US when it declared a "war on terror."

Why?

"Because we had nothing to do with it," Khan said. "No Pakistani was involved. Al Qaeda was in Afghanistan. What was Pakistan going to do with it?"

He said he also vividly recalls former President Pervez Musharraf saying the conflict would be over in "a matter of few weeks." Instead, 70,000 Pakistani citizens lost their lives in a war that unleashed "10 years of total mayhem in our country" and caused its economy to sustain losses over $100 billion, Khan said.

Which is why, Khan said, "There's no way — no sane mind should ever think of another conflict."

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