Iran | Pakistan

President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that representatives from Washington were heading to Islamabad and they would be “there tomorrow evening for negotiations” with Iran. The US president made the announcement in a Truth Social post, where he also insisted that Washington was offering Tehran “a very fair and reasonable” deal. “And I hope they take it because, if they don’t, the United States is going to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran,” he warned. “NO MORE MR. NICE GUY! They’ll come down fast, they’ll come down easy and, if they don’t take the DEAL, it will be my Honour to do what has to be done, which should have been done to Iran, by other Presidents, for the last 47 years. IT’S TIME FOR THE IRAN KILLING MACHINE TO END!” US media outlets reported, citing the White House spokesperson and officials, that Vice President JD Vance would lead the American delegation, and that Trump’s envoy Steve Kushner and the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner would also be part of t...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held separate telephone conversations with Canada’s Foreign Minister Anita Anand and Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday, focusing on evolving regional developments.

Britain’s government is set to announce legislation next month to move the country closer to the European Union, as the Iran war sours the United Kingdom’s so-called special relationship with the United States. US President Donald Trump’s unpredictability and stream of insults towards America’s historic ally are adding impetus to Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s bid to deepen ties with the 27-nation bloc, a decade after Britons narrowly voted to leave the EU. “We have a government that is already eager to move closer towards the EU, and the events in Iran provide an opportunity to speed up that process,” Evie Aspinall, director of the British Foreign Policy Group think-tank, told AFP. Starmer’s administration is preparing an EU “reset” bill that will give ministers powers to align UK standards with EU single market rules as they evolve — something called “dynamic alignment”. King Charles III will announce the legislation on May 13 when he reads out Starmer’s legislative plans for the coming months, a government ...

North Korea fired ballistic missiles into the sea on Sunday, accelerating its missile launches amid Iran war tensions and talk of possible meetings with the US and South Korea. Pyongyang’s intense missile activity — this was the fourth such launch this month and the seventh of the year — is meant to display its self-defence capabilities while gaining international leverage, some experts said. “The missile launches may be a way of showing that — unlike Iran — we have self-defence capabilities,” said South Korean former presidential security adviser Kim Ki-jung. “The North also appears to be exerting pressure preemptively and make a show of force before engaging in dialogue with the United States and South Korea,” he said. Iran war, Trump visit loom over launches The seven-week-old US-Israeli war against Iran, which Washington says aims to curb Tehran’s nuclear programme, could reinforce Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions, experts and former South Korean officials say. US President Donald Trump, preparing for a summ...

A handful of oil and gas tankers crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday during a brief reopening, tracking data showed, but others retreated and two were reportedly attacked as Iran closed the route again. The toing and froing over the strait cast doubt on US President Donald Trump’s optimism the day before, that a peace deal to end the US-Israeli war with Iran was “very close”. Iran reversed its pledge to reopen the strait to commercial traffic during a ceasefire in the war to protest an ongoing US counter-blockade of the route, a crucial passage for commodity shipments. During the reopening, at least eight oil and gas tankers crossed the strait early on Saturday after the Iranian announcement on Friday afternoon, data from tracking firm Kpler indicated. However, tracking platform MarineTraffic showed several other crude oil tankers approached the strait but then turned back near Iran’s Larak Island, a checkpoint for vessels seeking to exit the Gulf under Iranian forces’ blockade of the passage. Screengrab...

Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi have concluded a three-day official visit to Iran, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Saturday. The discussions focused on “bringing sustainable peace to the region, with particular emphasis on the evolving regional security environment, ongoing diplomatic engagements, and collaborative measures aimed at promoting enduring peace and stability in the region”, the ISPR said in a statement. Munir underscored the need for dialogue, de-escalation, and peaceful resolution of outstanding issues through sustained diplomatic engagements, it added. During the visit, the field marshal called on Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and held separate meetings with Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and the commander of Khatamul Anbiya Headquarters, Major General Ali Abdollahi. According to the ISPR statement, the CDF expressed deep app...

The Trump administration on Saturday renewed a waiver allowing countries to buy sanctioned Russian oil at sea for about a month, even as lawmakers accused the government of going easy on Moscow as its war on Ukraine grinds on. The United States Treasury Department’s waiver lets countries purchase Russian oil and petroleum products loaded on vessels as of Friday through May 16. It replaces a 30-day waiver that expired on April 11 and excludes transactions involving Iran, Cuba and North Korea. The move is part of the administration’s effort to control global energy prices that have shot higher during the US-Israeli war with Iran. It came after countries in Asia, suffering from the global energy shock, pressed Washington to allow alternative supplies to reach markets. Reversal by treasury “As negotiations (with Iran) accelerate, Treasury wants to ensure oil is available to those who need it,” a Treasury Department spokesperson said. Just two days earlier, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington would no...

Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, concluded a three-day official visit to Iran along with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and a high-level delegation, the military’s media wing said on Saturday.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Friday that the Strait of Hormuz, vital for the global trade in oil and other commodities, was open following a ceasefire accord agreed in Lebanon. Araqchi said in a post on X that the Strait was open for all commercial vessels for the “remaining period of ceasefire”. It was not immediately clear whether he was speaking of the 10-day truce agreed by Lebanon and Israel that went into effect at midnight or an earlier two-week truce between Iran and the United States that began on April 8. He said the passage of ships would need to be along the route that Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organisation had announced. US President Donald Trump welcomed Iran’s announcement. “THANK YOU!” he wrote on his Truth Social platform, before going on a posting spree. In a separate post, he said that the US military blockade of ships sailing through the Strait to Iranian ports — announced after talks with Iran last weekend in Islamabad ended without a breakthrough — remained in place. “T...

PRIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim shake hands in Doha; and (right) Field Marshal Asim Munir meets Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf in Tehran.—Reuters/AFP • Claims Iran has accepted ‘almost everything’ in talks • Nuclear issue remains key sticking point; US presses for complete dismantlement • Pakistan-led diplomacy, CDF’s Tehran visit gain global attention • FO says Pakistan maintaining ‘open channels’ with both sides • Massive security deployment planned in Islamabad, Rawalpindi WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said on Thursday he may travel to Islamabad if a final agreement with Iran is signed there, while claiming that Tehran has accepted “almost everything” currently under negotiation. Speaking to reporters on the White House lawn before departing for Nevada and Arizona, Trump expressed optimism about Pakistan-led diplomatic efforts to end hostilities and secure a settlement before the current ceasefire expires. “If a deal is signed in Islamabad, I may go,...

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that if a deal with Iran to end the war was reached and signed in Islamabad, he might go there, claiming that Iran had agreed to almost everything. He also said that the US and Iran were “very close” to signing a peace deal. Trump struck an optimistic tone about Iran as he spoke with reporters on the White House lawn on his way to a trip to Nevada and Arizona. Pakistan’s civil and military leadership has been engaged in feverish diplomacy, seeking to bring the US and Iran back to the negotiating table after the Islamabad Talks over the weekend yielded no result. Now, there are reports that the negotiating teams from the US and Iran could return to Islamabad. The talks were held as a Pakistan-brokered two-week ceasefire between Washington and Tehran remained in effect. The ceasefire paused hostilities that began with the US-Israeli strikes on February 28. During the conversation at the White House, Trump was asked if he would go to Pakistan to seal the deal himself, t...

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir held a meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian during his official visit to Iran, according to media reports.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday indicated he could visit Islamabad if a nuclear agreement with Iran is finalised there, describing ongoing negotiations as “very positive.

Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir reached Tehran on Wednesday and held a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and other officials, according to a post on the Iranian government’s X account. Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) described the visit as part of “ongoing mediation efforts” for de-escalation between Iran and the US. ISPR said that CDF Munir had arrived in the Iranian capital alongside a formal delegation and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi. Later, Araghchi posted on X: “Delighted to welcome Field Marshal Munir to Iran. Expressed gratitude for Pakistan’s gracious hosting of the dialogue, emphasising that it reflects our deep and great bilateral relationship. Our commitment to promoting peace and stability in the region remains strong—and shared.” The development came hours after Iran said that exchanges with the United States via Pakistan had continued following negotiations in Islamabad over the weekend that yielded no result. “Since Sunday, w...

Pakistan is considering buying liquefied natural gas (LNG) on the spot market to offset supply disruptions caused by the Iran war, but would favour government-to-government deals to avoid having to pay steep premiums, Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik has told Reuters. Qatar’s force majeure forced Pakistan to make costly spot purchases or find alternative fuels ahead of summer demand. Spot LNG cargoes have surged to $20 to $30 per mmBtu amid the Middle East conflict, Malik says, adding that purchases would depend on whether prices are acceptable to the power sector, including under existing government-to-government arrangements with Azerbaijan’s Socar. Pakistan has also been routing some crude supplies via Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea port of Yanbu to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, with Malik saying insurance costs on that route were lower than routes crossing or near Hormuz. Pakistan imports nearly all of its oil, much of it via the Strait of Hormuz, and remains exposed to supply shocks despite cutting its LNG re...

US President Donald Trump, whose war and immigration policies have been condemned by Pope Leo, reiterated his criticism of the religious leader on Tuesday night. In a post on Truth Social, Trump urged that “someone please tell Pope Leo” about the killings of protesters by Iran and that “for Iran to have a Nuclear Bomb is absolutely unacceptable.” The US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28. Iran responded with its own strikes on Israel and Gulf states with US bases. US-Israeli strikes on Iran and Israeli attacks in Lebanon have killed thousands and displaced millions. Iran does not have nuclear weapons while the US does. Israel is widely believed to be the only Middle Eastern country with nuclear weapons. While Western countries have long believed that Iran wants a nuclear bomb — or at least the ability to make one very quickly — Tehran has always denied that, citing its membership of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Trump’s comments come after Pope Leo warned earlier in the day of the risk of democra...

ISLAMABAD - President Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday appreciated the untiring efforts by Pakistan in hosting a dialogue between the United States and Iran, in a meeting held with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif here at the Aiwan-e-Sadr.

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday launched a stinging criticism of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, one of his main European allies, over her unwillingness to join the Iran war. “I’m shocked at her. I thought she had courage, but I was wrong,” he said in an interview with Italian daily Corriere della Sera. The interview was published the day after Meloni condemned as “unacceptable” Trump’s criticism of Pope Leo XIV, after the pontiff’s repeated calls for an end to the war in the Middle East. Trump told Corriere that it was she who was “unacceptable”, alleging she did not care if Iran had a nuclear weapon, adding that she did not want Italy to be involved in the war, which began with Israeli-US attacks on Iran, even though it gets much of its oil from the region. Meloni, Italy’s far-right leader since October 2022, has been one of Trump’s closest allies in Europe and often seeks to act as a mediator between diverging US and European views. Meloni’s allies and political opponents were swift to offer th...

On Andy Corriher’s farm in North Carolina, planting and preparations are underway for his corn and soybean crops — but fertiliser costs have surged on war in the Middle East, and orders he placed weeks ago have yet to arrive. The 47-year-old is among US farmers facing a double whammy of soaring fertiliser and diesel prices after US-Israeli strikes on Iran triggered Tehran’s blockage of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for such shipments. “This time of year is when the majority of fertiliser is put out in this country,” Corriher told AFP. “We got hit at the worst possible time, because we’re trying to buy fertiliser when it skyrockets and when the supply also gets cut.” Andy Corriher examines his wheat crop at his farm in China Grove, North Carolina, on April 10, 2026. — AFP The cost hikes strike at a major support base for US President Donald Trump, who won 78 per cent of the 2024 vote in farming-dependent counties, said news service Investigate Midwest. Trump blamed “price gouging from the fertilise...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar urged the United States and Iran to remain committed to a ceasefire after both countries ended historic face-to-face talks without an agreement on Sunday. “It is imperative that the parties continue to uphold their commitment to the ceasefire,” Dar said in a press conference following the conclusion of the 21-hour marathon talks. Dar expressed Pakistan’s readiness to continue to play its role to “facilitate engagement and dialogue” between the US and Iran. He hoped that both sides would “continue with the positive spirit to achieve durable peace and prosperity for the entire region and beyond”. The foreign minister also thanked Iran and the US for following through on the ceasefire call by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and accepting the invitation for the Islamabad Talks. Dar stated that he, along with Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, “helped mediate several rounds of intense and constructive negotiations between...