Iran | Pakistan

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’...

Former foreign minister and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has issued a strong warning over the global silence surrounding Israel’s aggression toward Iran, urging Pakistan and the international community to speak out before the conflict engulfs the entire region.

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...

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...

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...

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...

ISLAMABAD - The United Nations Security Council meeting on Iran was in progress on Sunday night till last reports came in.

ISLAMABAD - Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Emir Engineer Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has strongly condemned the US attack on Iran, stating that America has destroyed global peace through its aggression.

ISLAMABAD - Kashmiri leader and social activist Mushaal Mulick has expressed deep concern over the alleged attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities by the US.

ISLAMABAD - Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar yesterday reiterated Pakistan’s strong condemnation of ongoing Israeli aggression against the sovereignty of Iran and called for accountability of Israel’s unjustified and illegitimate actions.

ISLAMABAD - Iran’s Ambassador to Pakistan Dr Reza Amiri Moghadam yesterday stressed Tehran’s unwavering commitment to its nuclear programme.

ISLAMABAD - Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Sunday said that Pakistan stands in complete solidarity with neighboring Iran in the face of Israel’s unprovoked and unjustified aggression.

UNITED NATIONS, June 22: The U.N Security Council (UNSC) met on Sunday to discuss U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites as Russia, China and Pakistan proposed the 15-member body adopt a resolution calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in the Middle East. It was not immediately clear when it could be put to a […]

ISLAMABAD: Iran’s Ambassador to Pakistan, Dr Reza Amiri Moghadam, on Sunday asserted that Iran would continue its nuclear program despite the United States (US) attacked its three nuclear sites including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan. According to Pakistan’s state-run news agency, the APP, speaking at the emergency press conference here at the National Press Club, Islamabad, […]

US President Donald Trump said US air strikes on Sunday “totally obliterated” Iran’s main nuclear sites, as Washington joined Israel’s war with Tehran in a flashpoint moment for the Middle East. Condemning the US attacks as a violation of international law, Iran said it was “resolved to defend Iran’s territory, sovereignty, security and people by all force”. It also responded with a volley of missiles at Israel that wounded scores of people in Tel Aviv. Key developments: US strikes Iran’s Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz nuclear sites Pentagon chief says US operation not aimed at regime change Top US general details weapons used in “Operation Midnight Hammer” Iran warns of ‘everlasting consequences’, says US betrayed diplomacy Pakistan condemns attacks, voices support for Tehran’s right to defend Democrats criticise decision ‘without Congress approval’ The US president had stepped up his rhetoric against Iran since Israel first struck Iran on June 13, repeating his insistence that it could never have a nuclear weap...

The US entered Israel’s war with Iran late on Saturday when president Donald Trump authorised strikes against Iran targeting three nuclear facilities, which he called a “spectacular military success”. The US president had stepped up his rhetoric against Tehran since Israel first struck Iran on June 13, repeating his insistence that it could never have a nuclear weapon. Tehran has consistently denied the claim, saying its uranium enrichment programme is for civilian purposes. Israel had launched wide-scale air strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities, military sites and private residences, killing top commanders, scientists and hundreds others. Both countries have traded wave after wave of devastating strikes since then. Critics, analysts and key US lawmakers have debated the legality of Trump’s decision to strike Iran without prior approval from Congress. US President Donald Trump delivers an address to the nation alongside US Vice President JD Vance, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Defence Secretar...

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has strongly condemned the United States' strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, warning that the move could dangerously escalate tensions in an already volatile region.

The reaction of world leaders after US forces struck three Iranian nuclear sites on Sunday ranged from Israel lauding President Donald Trump’s decision to the UN calling for de-escalation and Iran and some other nations condemning the attacks. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Donald Trump, calling Washington’s move a “bold decision”. In a video message, he said, “Congratulations, President Trump. Your bold decision to target Iran’s nuclear facilities with the awesome and righteous might of the United States will change history… History will record that President Trump acted to deny the world’s most dangerous regime the world’s most dangerous weapons.” Iran’s Abbas Araghchi calls US strikes a ‘grave violation of UN charter’ “The United States, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, has committed a grave violation of the UN Charter, international law and the (nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty) by attacking Iran’s peaceful nuclear installations,” Iran’s...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has strongly condemned Israeli aggression against Iran, calling it a blatant violation of international law and a serious threat to regional and global peace.

LONDON: Seven men were arrested on suspicion of assault after an “altercation” on Friday outside Iran’s embassy in London left two men injured, police said. London’s Metropolitan Police banned protesters from gathering in the area in west London after seven men were arrested “on suspicion of grievous bodily harm”. The Met said two people had been treated at the scene and taken to hospital. Their injuries were not life-threatening. The fighting was thought to have broken out within the protesting group. Protesters opposing Iran’s clerical leadership had gathered outside the embassy in west London since Sunday, hanging up flags from the nation’s ousted monarchy alongside some Israeli flags. They support the exiled Reza Pahlavi, son of the ousted shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Iran’s pro-Western monarchy toppled by the 1979 Islamic Revolution. UK withdraws embassy staff from Tehran Photos published by The Telegraph showed two men receiving medical attention on the road beside the encampment. One more man was arrest...