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Dawn - 13:08 Jun 23, 2025
The United States President Donald Trump launched direct airstrikes targeting Iran’s main nuclear sites on Saturday, joining Israel’s war with Tehran in a flashpoint moment for the Middle East. This marked the first time since the Iranian revolution in 1979 that the US has deployed assets to target major facilities in the country. Iran denounced the US attacks as “lawless and criminal”, warning of “everlasting consequences” for which it said the US would be held fully responsible. In retaliation, Iran’s parliament voted to close the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway through which approximately 20 per cent of the world’s oil and gas supply passes. Global attention has now turned to Iran, with observers questioning whether it will escalate the conflict by targeting US interests, or heed President Trump’s call to negotiate — an offer which in practice means giving up all nuclear enrichment plans in Iran. Iranian Ambassador to Pakistan Dr Reza Amiri Moghadam has warned that Tehran could retaliate by striking ... -
Dawn - 13:00 Jun 23, 2025
National Security Committee reaffirms Iran’s right to self-defence after US attacks on nuclear sites
An emergency meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) on Monday reaffirmed Iran’s right to self-defence following the airstrikes by the United States on three nuclear facilities. After months of attacking Gaza — flattening homes, targeting hospitals, and starving a besieged population — Israel expanded its assault by launching wide-scale air strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities, military sites and private residences on June 13, killing top commanders, scientists and civilians. A day earlier, President Donald Trump said US air strikes “totally obliterated” Iran’s main nuclear sites, as Washington joined Israel’s war with Tehran in a flashpoint moment for the Middle East. The strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, which came four days after Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir’s meeting with Trump and a day after the government said it decided to formally recommend Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for his role during the recent conflict with India, were condemned by Pakistan. A meet... -
Dawn - 11:54 Jun 23, 2025
The Karachi Police ordered an investigation on Monday of alleged threats being made to boxer Aliya Soomro. Earlier this year, Soomro became the first Pakistani woman to win a world boxing title. She knocked out her opponent from Thailand in just 45 seconds in Bangkok to claim victory in the WBA Asia 105-pound category. A day ago, Soomro issued a video statement on her Instagram account, saying that she and her family were being harassed by an alleged facilitator of the Lyari gang war who was impersonating a media worker. “Don’t drag me into political and ethnic disputes and conflict between boxing institutions. Why is the entire machinery being used against me? My family and I are facing life threats,” she said. Soomro alleged that certain elements were “spreading unfounded information” against her, expressing fear that she could be physically harmed. She appealed to the Sindh police chief and other officials for protection and legal assistance. View this post on Instagram A statement issued today from the of... -
Dawn - 10:22 Jun 23, 2025
Iran said on Monday that the US attack on its nuclear sites expanded the range of legitimate targets for its armed forces and called US President Donald Trump a “gambler” for joining Israel’s military campaign against the Islamic Republic. Since Trump joined Israel’s campaign by dropping massive bunker-buster bombs on Iranian nuclear sites on Sunday morning, Tehran has repeatedly threatened to retaliate. But while it has continued to fire missiles at Israel, it has yet to take action against the United States itself, either by firing at US bases or by targeting the 20 per cent of global oil shipments that pass near its coast at the mouth of the Gulf. “Mr Trump, the gambler, you may start this war, but we will be the ones to end it,” Ebrahim Zolfaqari, spokesperson for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya central military headquarters, said on Monday in English at the end of a recorded video statement. Iran and Israel traded another wave of air and missile strikes on Monday as the world braced for Tehran’s response. Trump’... -
Dawn - 09:51 Jun 23, 2025
Asia is currently warming nearly twice as fast as the global average, fueling more extreme weather and wreaking a heavy toll on the region’s economies, ecosystems and societies, according to a report published by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) on the ‘State of the Climate in Asia 2024’ published on Monday. The State of the Climate reports, which provide policy-relevant information for national and regional decision-making, have previously reported in 2024 that the impact of heatwaves in Asia was becoming more severe, with melting glaciers threatening the region’s future water security. The new report says that 2024 was the warmest or second-warmest year on record depending on the dataset, with widespread and prolonged heatwaves. The warming trend between 1991–2024 was almost double that of the 1961–1990 period. Asia is the continent with the largest land mass extending to the Arctic, and is warming more than twice as fast as the global average because the temperature increase over land is larger ... -
Dawn - 09:25 Jun 23, 2025
Former foreign minister and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Monday said India has the option to either share water fairly or “we will deliver water to us from all six (Indus river system) rivers”. Delhi unilaterally suspended its participation in the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), which governs the usage of the Indus river system, on April 23, shortly after 26 civilians were killed in India-held Kashmir. Delhi, without evidence, blamed Islamabad for the attack. The latter has denied the allegations and called for a neutral probe. The accord remains dormant despite a ceasefire agreed upon by the two nuclear-armed neighbours last month following their worst fighting in decades. The Foreign Office (FO) on Saturday had slammed Indian Home Minister Amit Shah’s “brazen disregard” for international agreements after the latter said New Delhi would never restore the IWT with Pakistan. View this post on Instagram Speaking in the National Assembly during a session on the federal budget, Bilawal said, “India has ... -
Dawn - 06:11 Jun 23, 2025
QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti on Saturday chaired a high-level meeting to review the current situation in districts bordering Iran which were facing food and fuel shortages due to the Iran -Israel war. The meeting focused on the availability of food supplies, fuel provision and safe return of pilgrims and students from Iran, and the overall security and administrative conditions in these areas. The meeting was briefed by authorities concerned on the current management strategies and future plans. “At present there is no food shortage in the border areas,” officials concerned claimed at the meeting. However, reports reaching here say that the situation is not normal and the people are facing food and fuel shortages in these areas. The chief minister ordered authorities concerned to ensure uninterrupted food and fuel supplies in these regions to prevent any public inconvenience. He also instructed the departments concerned to maintain electricity and LPG supply by implementing alternative sol... -
Dawn - 06:07 Jun 23, 2025
ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said on Sunday that Pakistan stands in complete solidarity with neighboring Iran in the face of Israels unprovoked and unjustified aggression. Talking to a private news channel, he said that Pakistan condemned the attacks carried out by Israel and is gravely concerned about the potential for further escalation in the region. The threat of a wider war in the Middle East is real, he warned, calling for an immediate end to the hostilities. He said the recent crisis has revitalized Pakistan-Iran relations, with brotherly ties growing stronger. Offering his analysis on the situation, he said, Israels existence poses a continuous threat to regional peace. The concept of peace with Israel is inherently contradictory. He asserted that Israels so-called invincibility has been badly exposed. The spirits of the people of Gaza remains unshaken like rock solid. He emphasized that Israel must abandon the illusion that bombing Muslim populations will crush their willpower. T... -
Dawn - 06:02 Jun 23, 2025
KARACHI: Citizens, particularly university students, have been facing immense trouble in crossing the main University Road now when all pedestrian bridges along it have been removed by the authorities working on the Red Line project. The bridges had to be removed to construct the infrastructure for the BRT (bus rapid transit) system. The situation has been causing a lot of trouble especially to female students of higher education institutions, located along the University Road since the footbridges were dismantled about three months ago. In the absence of the bridges, the people attempting to cross the road have to put their lives at risk as the road remains packed with speeding vehicles. Many accidents have taken place along the road. The victims included female students of the University of Karachi and the Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology. The issue has also led to increased travel cost for many students as they now have to take a cab or some other public transport means to get to the... -
Dawn - 03:57 Jun 23, 2025
LAHORE: Veteran politician and prominent businessman Jahangir Khan Tareen is reportedly eyeing another political comeback, this time under the flag of PPP. The speculations have gained traction after a video went viral online showing Mr Tareen seated alongside PPPP South Punjab president Makhdoom Ahmad Mahmood. Responding to a question regarding his potential return to politics, Mr Tareen remarked that if he were to resume politics, he would “stand with the PPP.” While there has been no formal announcement of Mr Tareen’s affiliation with PPP, the comment has stoked a flurry of rumours. Unconfirmed reports suggest President Asif Zardari, the co-chairman of PPP, may meet Mr Tareen on Wednesday to seal the deal. However, senior PPPP leader Khawaja Rizwan Alam has dismissed the reports. He said due to President Zardari’s parliamentary obligations, no such meeting was possible this month. Mr Tareen has been away from the political scene since his defeats in last year’s general election from Multan and Lodhran. A s... -
Dawn - 03:53 Jun 23, 2025
ISTANBUL: Foreign ministers from Muslim countries on Sunday urged Israel to end its aggression towards Iran, without mentioning the US strikes on the Islamic republic’s nuclear sites. Ministers from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) “condemn firmly the aggression of Israel against the Islamic Republic of Iran, stress the urgent need to stop Israeli attacks and their great concern regarding this dangerous escalation”, said a statement, issued after the end of a summit in Istanbul this weekend. It made no direct reference to the US bombardment of Iran’s key nuclear facilities early on Sunday, after President Donald Trump decided to join Israel’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear programme. But the OIC did denounce the “destabilisation policies of Israel in the region and its recent attacks on Iran, Syria, and Lebanon, constituting a flagrant violation of sovereignty and security of these countries and international law”. Omits mention of US strikes on nuclear facilities; Dar wants Israel held accountable, s... -
Dawn - 03:47 Jun 23, 2025
• Amb Iftikhar terms targeting of nuclear sites clear breach of international law • IAEA chief says such attacks may result in radioactive releases with great consequences • Guterres calls US bombing ‘perilous turn’ UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan joined China and Russia in circulating a draft resolution at the UN Security Council demanding an immediate ceasefire, the protection of civilians and a return to diplomacy following US airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. The strikes, which targeted Iran’s Fordow — where uranium is enriched to 60 per cent — and two other facilities have been described as a dangerous escalation with potential global ramifications. Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Pakistan’s permanent representative to the UN, told an emergency session of the Council: “Pakistan has condemned the US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, which come on the heels of a series of brazen attacks by Israel.” He added that specific targeting of nuclear facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) s... -
Dawn - 03:41 Jun 23, 2025
NEW YORK: A US attack on Iranian nuclear sites could push oil prices even higher and trigger a knee-jerk rush to safety, investors said, as they assessed how the latest escalation of tensions would ripple through the global economy. The reaction in Middle East stock markets, which trade on Sunday, suggested investors were assuming a benign outcome, even as Iran intensified its missile attacks on Israel in response to the sudden, deep US involvement in the conflict. Investors said they expected US involvement would cause a stock market selloff and a possible bid for the dollar and other safe-haven assets when major markets reopen, but also said much uncertainty remained. “I think the markets are going to be initially alarmed, and I think oil will open higher,” said Mark Spindel, chief investment officer at Potomac River Capital. Economists warn dramatic rise in oil prices may damage global economy “We don’t have any damage assessment and that will take some time. Even though (Trump) has described this as ‘done... -
Dawn - 03:30 Jun 23, 2025
PAKISTAN and India are closer to war than ever before despite a fragile ceasefire, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has warned, calling the situation in the region “incredibly perilous” and the threshold for full-scale conflict “dangerously low”. Mr Bhutto-Zardari, also a former foreign minister, said that on the final day of last month’s deadly clashes, India deployed a dual-use cruise missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, forcing Pakistan to make a split-second decision on whether it was under nuclear attack. “In that atmosphere you’ve got only a few seconds to decide looking at an image: is this missile going to be used within the nuclear connotation or not? And in those split seconds, decisions are made,” he told The Sunday Times during a visit to London. “We’ve achieved a ceasefire, but we haven’t achieved peace. And that’s problematic because following this recent conflict, we have lowered the threshold for full-blown military conflict to the lowest it has ever been, to what I believe are da... -
Dawn - 18:43 Jun 22, 2025
At least 20 people were killed and dozens injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up at the Mar Elias Church in the Dweila neighbourhood of the Syrian capital Damascus on Sunday, health authorities and security sources said. It was the first suicide bombing in Damascus since Bashar al-Assad was toppled by an Islamist-led rebel insurgency in December. Syria’s interior ministry said the suicide bomber was a member of Islamic State. “He entered the church, opened fire and then detonated his explosive vest,” a ministry statement added. A security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said two men were involved in the attack, including the one who blew himself up. Islamic State has been behind several attempted attacks on churches in Syria since Assad’s fall, but this was the first to succeed, another security source told Reuters. Syria’s state news agency cited the health ministry as saying that 52 people were also injured in the blast. A livestream from the site by Syria’s civil defence, the White Helme... -
Dawn - 18:16 Jun 22, 2025
Pakistani politicians on Sunday raised their concerns over the government’s decision to recommend US President Donald Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, as Washington joined Israel’s war with Iran. The government had decided to nominate Trump for the prestigious award to hail his “decisive diplomatic intervention and pivotal leadership” during last month’s Pak-India conflict, when both neighbours stepped back from the brink of war with US mediation. In a statement, it had highlighted that Trump “demonstrated great strategic foresight and stellar statesmanship through robust diplomatic engagement with both Islamabad and New Delhi”, which ultimately secured a ceasefire. However, after the US bombed Iran’s Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz nuclear sites, with Trump saying they were “totally obliterated”, leaders across the political spectrum joined Pakistani citizens in voicing their reservations. Veteran politician Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who heads his own faction of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F), demanded that t... -
Dawn - 16:33 Jun 22, 2025
Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti on Sunday condemned the murder of Mir Attaur Rehman Mengal, the son of former Balochistan chief minister Naseer Mengal, in an armed clash when gunmen opened fire in district Khuzdar’s Wadh. Atta Mengal was the brother of Mir Shafiqur Rehman Mengal, a prominent tribal leader and head of the Jhalawan Awami Panel, a political party. Dawn.com has reached out to the police for a comment on the alleged murder. Bugti condemned the “cowardly terrorist attack” and expressed his heartfelt grief and sorrow over the killing of the younger Mengal. “He prayed for the bereaved family and expressed his best wishes for the speedy recovery of the injured grandson,” a statement from his office read. Bugti assured that the provincial government will conduct a thorough investigation into the incident and vowed that the terrorists will be brought to justice. “The people and government of Balochistan stand in solidarity against terrorism,” he added. Atta Mengal was killed while his son M... -
Dawn - 16:25 Jun 22, 2025
Armed men opened fire at a wedding party in southeastern France early Sunday, killing the bride, said a source close to the investigation. The attack in the village of Goult occurred around 0230 GMT (07:30am PKT). According to initial information, the bride and groom were leaving the party when they were confronted by masked assailants who opened fire, the source close to the investigation added. The bride died. One of the attackers was also killed, run over by the bride and groom’s car as they tried to escape. A large-scale operation involving around 100 police has been launched to find those responsible for the shooting, according to the source. All lines of inquiry are being pursued, including a possible settling of scores. -
Dawn - 15:48 Jun 22, 2025
WASHINGTON: As Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir concluded his four-day visit to the United States on Friday, the diplomatic choreography surrounding the trip offered fresh clues to a quiet realignment in US-Pakistan relations — and signaled Washington’s interest in assigning Islamabad a new regional role. The Trump administration, which welcomed Field Marshal Munir with uncharacteristic warmth, appears to want Pakistan to act as a potential peacemaker in the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict. President Trump hinted at this during a White House luncheon, saying Pakistanis “know Iran better than most” and noting they were “not bad with Israel” either. The COAS’ next stop — Turkiye — added weight to this emerging role. He flew directly from Washington to attend an Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) conference on the Iran-Israel crisis, underscoring Pakistan’s willingness to be seen as a regional stabiliser. Diplomatic sources in Washington say that while Pakistan is expected to engage Iran, ... -
Dawn - 15:45 Jun 22, 2025
A Turkish court arrested prominent independent journalist Fatih Altayli over comments on his social media allegedly threatening President Tayyip Erdogan, broadcaster NTV and others reported on Sunday. Altayli, who has more than 1.5 million YouTube subscribers, was detained on Saturday over comments in a video he posted on Friday in which he addressed a poll showing most Turks opposed Erdogan’s ruling for life. Altayli referenced Ottoman rulers, saying Turks had “killed” or “drowned” some they no longer wanted in power. Prosecutors in Istanbul later said the remarks “contained threats” against the president and launched an investigation. NTV said that in his defence to the court, Altayli denied threatening Erdogan, quoting him as saying that his remarks were taken out of context and made to appear like threats, even though they were simply part of rhetorical historical discussions. The development comes amid a series of detentions of opposition figures in recent months, including the arrest of Istanbul Mayor E...
7934 items