Iran | Pakistan

United States President Donald Trump said on Friday that he believed Tehran wanted to make a deal to avoid military action, adding that the US “armada” near Iran was bigger than the one he dispatched to topple Venezuela’s leader. The development came hours after Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran is prepared to resume talks with Washington, but they should be fair and not include Iran’s defence capabilities. Trump made these remarks while addressing reporters in the Oval Office of the White House. “We have a large armada, flotilla, you can call it whatever you want, heading to Iran right now. Even larger than what we had in Venezuela,” the president stated. “Hopefully, we’ll make a deal. If we do make a deal, that’s good; if we don’t make a deal, we’ll see what happens,” Trump added. Asked if Iran had been given any deadline for a deal on its nuclear programme, ballistic missiles and other issues, Trump replied, “Only they know for sure.” He added that he had communicated that directly. “We’ll...

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday he hoped to avoid military action against Iran, which has threatened to strike American bases and aircraft carriers in response to any attack. Trump said he is speaking with Iran and left open the possibility of avoiding a military operation after earlier warning that time was “running out” for Tehran as the United States sends a large naval fleet to the region. When asked if he would have talks with Iran, Trump told reporters: “I have had and I am planning on it.” “We have a group headed out to a place called Iran, and hopefully we won’t have to use it,” the US president added, while speaking to media at the premiere of a documentary about his wife Melania. As Brussels and Washington dialled up their rhetoric and Iran issued stark threats this week, UN chief Antonio Guterres has called for nuclear negotiations to “avoid a crisis that could have devastating consequences in the region”. An Iranian military spokesman warned Tehran’s response to any US action would not ...

• PM speaks to Iranian president; FO says region cannot afford war • Diplomacy the ‘only viable way forward’, Dar tells Araghchi • Iranian army chief warns of ‘crushing response’ to any attack • Turkiye offers mediation; Russia cautions use of force will ‘fuel chaos’ ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday opposed the use of force and coercive measures against Iran, stressing that disputes should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy as Western pressure on Tehran intensified with a continuing US naval build-up in the Gulf and fresh European designations and sanctions. The Pakistani position was articulated across official engagements and public statements, including a telephone call bet­ween Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Iranian President Masoud Pezesh­kian, con­­tacts between the two foreign ministers, and remarks by the Foreign Off­ice spo­kesperson at the media briefing. In a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, PM Shehbaz “underscored the importance of sustained dialogue and diplomatic engage...

US President Donald Trump is weighing options against Iran that include targeted strikes on security forces and leaders to inspire protesters, multiple sources said, even as Israeli and Arab officials said air power alone would not topple the government. Two US sources familiar with the discussions said Trump wanted to create conditions for “regime change” after a crackdown crushed a nationwide protest movement earlier this month. To do so, he was looking at options to hit commanders and institutions that Washington holds responsible for the violence, to give protesters the confidence that they could overrun government and security buildings, they said. One of the US sources said the options being discussed by Trump’s aides also included a much larger strike intended to have a lasting impact, possibly against the ballistic missiles that can reach US allies in the Middle East or its nuclear enrichment programmes. The other US source said Trump has not yet made a final decision on a course of action, including ...

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday renewed threats to attack Iran, saying “time is running out” to make a deal on nuclear weapons, after Tehran rejected talks. “Hopefully Iran will quickly ‘Come to the Table’ and negotiate a fair and equitable deal — NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS — one that is good for all parties. Time is running out,” the US leader said in a social media post, noting that “a massive armada is heading to Iran.” “As I told Iran once before, MAKE A DEAL! They didn’t, and there was ‘Operation Midnight Hammer,’ a major destruction of Iran. The next attack will be far worse!” The dialling up of threats came after Iran’s top diplomat said the country would not come to the table under the shadow of military action. “Conducting diplomacy through military threat cannot be effective or useful,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in televised comments on Wednesday. “If they want negotiations to take shape, they must certainly set aside threats, excessive demands and raising illogical issues.” Trump has repe...

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian that Riyadh will not allow its airspace or territory to be used for military actions against Tehran, state news agency SPA reported on Tuesday. In a phone call with Pezeshkian, the crown prince affirmed his country’s support for any “efforts that would resolve differences through dialogue” to bolster security and stability in the region. Earlier, Iranian media reported that Pezeshkian told bin Salman that Tehran welcomes any process, within the framework of international law, that prevents war. The statement by the Saudi de facto ruler follows a similar statement by the United Arab Emirates that it would not allow any military action against Iran using its airspace or territorial waters. Uncertainty over the possibility of military action in Iran has lingered after US President Donald Trump said last week that an “armada” was heading toward the country but that he hoped he would not have to use it. Trump said on Tuesday another US...

A US naval strike force led by an aircraft carrier was in Middle Eastern waters on Tuesday as Iran vowed to hit back against any strike and President Donald Trump said he believed the Islamic republic still wanted talks. Washington has not ruled out new military intervention against Tehran over its crackdown on protests, which saw over 3,000 killed within days, according to Iranian media. A strike group led by the USS Abraham Lincoln has now arrived in Middle Eastern waters, US Central Command said, without revealing its precise location. Since Iran earlier this month launched the crackdown on protests accompanied by a blanket internet blackout, Trump has given mixed signals on intervention. “We have a big armada next to Iran. Bigger than Venezuela,” Trump told the Axios news site, weeks after US military action resulted in the capture of the Latin American nation’s president Nicolas Maduro. But he added: “They want to make a deal. I know so. They called on numerous occasions. They want to talk.” Axios said T...

A US naval strike group led by an aircraft carrier has deployed to Middle Eastern waters, the United States said on Monday, as Tehran warned it was ready to hit back at any American attack launched in response to a crackdown on anti-government protests. The protests started in late December, driven by economic grievances, but turned into a mass movement against the Islamic Republic, with huge street demonstrations for several days from January 8. But rights groups have accused authorities of quelling the movement with unprecedented violence, shooting into crowds of protesters under the cover of an internet shutdown that has now lasted 18 days — the longest Iran has ever imposed. US President Donald Trump has previously threatened to step in, saying last week that Washington was sending a “massive fleet” to the region “just in case”. The deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group dramatically boosts American firepower in the region. The United States backed and briefly joined Israel’s 12-day wa...

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Saturday thanked his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar for his “strong support” and Pakistan’s position at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) amid the prevailing tense situation between Washington and Tehran. On Friday, the UNHRC adopted a resolution — with 25 votes in favour, seven against and 14 abstentions — to extend the mandate of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran for two years. The resolution also extended the mandate of the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iran by one year and called for an urgent investigation by the mission, in the context of the deadly nationwide protests in Iran that started in December. Pakistan, along with China and India, voted against the resolution. In a post on X on Saturday, the Foreign Office (FO) said Dar, who is on a visit to Dubai, received a telephone call from Araghchi. The Iranian minister thanked the deputy prime minister for “his strong support and Pakistan’s position at the Unite...

Iran will treat any attack “as an all-out war against us,” a senior Iranian official said on Friday, ahead of the arrival of a US military aircraft carrier strike group and other assets in the Middle East in the coming days. “This military buildup — we hope it is not intended for real confrontation — but our military is ready for the worst-case scenario. This is why everything is on high alert in Iran,” said the senior Iranian official, speaking on condition of anonymity. “This time we will treat any attack — limited, unlimited, surgical, kinetic, whatever they call it — as an all-out war against us, and we will respond in the hardest way possible to settle this,” the official said. US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the United States had an “armada” heading toward Iran but hoped he would not have to use it, as he renewed warnings to Tehran against killing protesters or restarting its nuclear program. “If the Americans violate Iran’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, we will respond,” said t...

Defence Minister says Pakistan stands firmly with people of Iran in difficult circumstances.

• Davos disinvites FM Araghchi over ‘tragic’ crackdown • UN condemns use of executions as ‘a tool of state intimidation’ TEHRAN: Internet access in Iran will “gradually” return to normal this week, a senior official said on Monday, as the government faces international fallout from an 11-day communications blackout imposed during deadly anti-government protests. The announcement came the same day organisers of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, confirmed the Iranian foreign minister would not attend the summit because it would not be “right” following the recent crackdown. Simultaneously, the United Nations issued a report condemning Tehran for using executions as a “tool of state intimidation”. “The internet will gradually return to normal operations this week,” Hossein Afshin, Iran’s vice president for science, technology and the knowledge economy, said on Monday on state television. The government imposed a nationwide communications blackout earlier this month amid huge demonstrations triggere...

Iranian authorities have said they are considering “gradually” restoring internet access after imposing a communications shutdown 10 days ago, as nationwide protests in the country began to subside following a crackdown by security forces. Demonstrations sparked in late December by anger over economic hardship exploded into protests widely seen as the biggest challenge to the Iranian leadership in years. Iranian officials have said the demonstrations were peaceful before turning into “riots” and blamed foreign influence, namely from Iran’s foes, the United States and Israel. The rallies subsided after the crackdown carried out by security forces amid a communications blackout that started on January 8 as the protests grew in size and intensity. Government officials have said calm has been restored, with schools reopening on Sunday — Iran’s weekend falling on Thursday and Friday — after a week of closure. Late Saturday, the Tasnim news agency reported “the relevant authorities announced that internet access wo...

Pakistan on Saturday reaffirmed its desire for peace and stability in Iran and the wider region, as Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held a telephonic conversation with his Iranian counterpart Seyed Abbas Araghchi.

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday accused US President Donald Trump of being responsible for “casualties” during a protest wave in the country that rights groups said was met with a deadly crackdown. “We hold the American president guilty for the casualties, damages and accusations he has levelled against the Iranian nation,” he told a crowd of supporters during an address marking a religious holiday. “This was an American conspiracy,” Khamenei said, adding that “America’s goal is to swallow Iran … the goal is to put Iran back under military, political and economic domination”. “By God’s grace, the Iranian nation must break the back of the seditionists just as it broke the back of the sedition,” he said. “We do not intend to lead the country to war, but we will not spare domestic criminals,” he added, saying that “international criminals” were “worse” and would also not be spared punishment. Iranian authorities have blamed the United States for fuelling a “terrorist operation” that they...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar expressed his hope for peace and stability in Iran on Saturday, the Foreign Office (FO) said. According to a post by the FO on X, Dar spoke with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in a phone call in which the two diplomats discussed the current situation in Iran and the wider region. Dar “expressed hope for peace and stability, and both sides agreed to continue bilateral consultations on matters of mutual interest”, the statement added. On Thursday, Pakistan had expressed hope at the United Nations Security Council for an early normalisation of the situation in Iran, which saw its largest demonstrations in years, challenging the country’s government. Ambassador Asim Ahmad described Iran as a “brotherly country”, saying that the people of the two nations share deep-rooted historical, friendly, cultural and religious bonds. Protests have taken place across Iran in a movement sparked by anger over the rising cost of living, leading to authorities imposing...

Pakistan has told the UN Security Council that it hopes for an early normalisation of the situation in Iran, warning that the UN Charter and international law prohibit external interference in the internal affairs of states. “The UN Charter prohibits the threat or use of force against other states’ territorial integrity or political independence, or interference in matters essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of states,” Ambassador Asim Ahmad, Pakistan’s permanent representative to the UN, told an emergency meeting of the 15-member Council on Thursday evening. The United States convened the Security Council meeting to discuss the situation in Iran, with the country’s Ambassador Mike Waltz criticising the actions taken against Iranian protesters and assuring them of President Donald Trump’s support. In his remarks, the Pakistani envoy said, “We have been carefully observing developments in Iran and the region in recent days,” pointing out that new threats to regional peace and stability remain a seriou...

WASHINGTON: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has urged United States President Donald Trump to delay any American military strike on Iran, according to a report by The New York Times, a development that highlights growing regional unease over the risk of a wider conflict. Netanyahu spoke to President Trump on Thursday, the same day the US president publicly suggested that Tehran had eased its internal crackdown and halted executions, citing information from “very important sources on the other side”, remarks that were widely read in Washington as a signal of hesitation about imminent military action, the report said. The Israeli leader’s intervention comes as several key Arab partners of the US have also pressed the Trump administration to avoid an attack on Iran, warning that such a move could trigger a broader regional war, according to a senior official from a Gulf Arab country cited by the newspaper. Officials from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Egypt have contacted senior US officials over the pa...

The US on Thursday imposed sanctions on five Iranian officials it accused of being behind the crackdown on protests and said it was tracking Iranian leaders’ funds being wired to international banks, as President Donald Trump keeps the pressure on Tehran. The US Treasury Department in a statement said it imposed sanctions on the secretary of the Supreme Council for National Security as well as Islamic Revolutionary Guard corps and law enforcement forces commanders, accusing them of being architects of the crackdown. The US also imposed sanctions on Fardis Prison, where the State Department said women had “endured cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment.” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in a video on Thursday said Washington’s message to Iran’s leaders was clear: “US Treasury knows, that like rats on a sinking ship, you are frantically wiring funds stolen from Iranian families to banks and financial institutions around the world. Rest assured, we will track them and you. “But there’s still time, if you choose...

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Iranian opposition figure Reza Pahlavi “seems very nice” but expressed uncertainty over whether Pahlavi would be able to muster support within Iran to eventually take over. In an exclusive Reuters interview in the Oval Office, Trump said there was a chance Iran’s government could collapse and blamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for the stalemate in negotiations with Russia over the war in Ukraine. Trump has repeatedly threatened to intervene in support of protesters in Iran. But he was reluctant on Wednesday to lend his full support to Pahlavi, the son of the late shah of Iran, who was ousted from power in 1979. “He seems very nice, but I don’t know how he’d play within his own country,” Trump said. “And we really aren’t up to that point yet. I don’t know whether or not his country would accept his leadership, and certainly if they would, that would be fine with me.” Trump’s comments went further in questioning Pahlavi’s ability to lead Iran, after he...