Iran | Pakistan

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned on Sunday that any attempt to bypass the Strait of Hormuz routes agreed with the United States would “increase tensions” in the Middle East, as the countries traded attacks and accusations of violating a fragile ceasefire in the region. Araghchi’s warning came after the US military said it carried out new strikes on early Sunday on multiple targets in Iran, in response to a fresh attack on a ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran responded by launching strikes against US bases in Bahrain and Kuwait. The exchanges underscored the fragility of a Pakistan-brokered interim peace deal aimed at ending a war launched by the United States and Israel on February 28, which disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and rattled global energy markets. “Any attempt to adopt new or separate arrangements compared to what is underway by the Islamic Republic of Iran, will only lead to more complicated situations and delays in the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and w...

The Democratic Republic of Congo became the latest underdogs to roar at the World Cup on Saturday, battling into the knockout rounds for the first time as Iran’s rollercoaster campaign ended in elimination. A chaotic finale to the tournament’s expanded group phase saw Austria and Algeria fill the final two berths in the last 32 late on Saturday after battling to an extraordinary 3-3 draw in Group J — a result that dashed Iran’s hopes of advancing from their group. A win for either Austria or Algeria would have allowed Iran to squeeze into the last 32, and it looked as if the Asian side would advance when Riyadh Mahrez scored in the third minute of stoppage time to put the Algerians into a 3-2 lead. But Iranian joy was short-lived when Sasa Kalajdzic arrowed in a header in the sixth minute of injury time to snatch a draw for Austria and spark pandemonium in Kansas City. Austria midfielder Marcel Sabitzer, who scored Austria’s second goal, described the closing moments as “weird”. “It’s a draw normally, so you ...

Iranians woke early on Saturday to watch the men’s national football team face Egypt, riding an emotional rollercoaster as Iran fought back to draw but missed the chance to directly qualify for the World Cup’s last 32. But all is not lost for Team Melli after the 1-1 draw. Depending on the results in other groups, the Iranians could still reach the knockout stage for the first time in their history. Iran had a troubled buildup to the World Cup due to the war in the Middle East, which broke out in late February with US-Israeli strikes on Tehran. The team has also faced the strain of considerable visa and travel restrictions in the United States, which is co-hosting the 2026 tournament with Mexico and Canada. “It was a good game, even though they were unable to prepare properly,” said Iranian football fan Amin. “I wish they’d played the whole game like the last five minutes,” when Iran was on the attack, the 33-year-old car dealer told AFP. Fans in Tehran watched a broadcast of the match in a packed hall dotted...

The United States and Iran traded military strikes after Washington on Friday accused Tehran of attacking a cargo ship, jeopardising a fragile ceasefire as diplomats struggle to contain the Middle East war. US Central Command said the American strikes, against Iranian missile and drone storage sites and coastal radar positions, were a response to “unwarranted aggression against commercial shipping by Iranian forces” that “clearly violated the ceasefire”. It described the operation as “a powerful response to yesterday’s attack on a commercial ship that was transiting the Strait of Hormuz”. Iranian state television, citing a reporter in Sirik, said an explosion was heard late on Friday at Taherouyeh pier in the southern port city. It quoted an informed military source as saying the blast was caused by a projectile impact in the area. US President Donald Trump had earlier denounced what he described as an Iranian drone strike on the vessel, saying: “Obviously, this is a foolish violation of our ceasefire agreeme...

Iran face an anxious wait to see if they will progress to the World Cup knockout stage after they came from behind to hold Egypt to a 1-1 draw, which ended in dramatic fashion with an apparent last-ditch winner ruled out for offside. Egypt, whose qualification for the last-32 was already guaranteed, took the lead inside five minutes through Mahmoud Saber, before Ramin Rezaeian equalised from a tight angle in the 14th minute of a frantic start. The early action fizzled out as the game became scrappy until a remarkable finale in which Iran hit the woodwork before snatching what seemed a famous win, only to have VAR intervene. Iran’s Mehdi Taremi who had a penalty saved in the first half hit the crossbar with a late header before Shoja Khalilzadeh fired home in the 93rd minute, sparking wild celebrations as the Iran bench streamed onto the pitch. But Khalilzadeh had strayed just offside and Egypt clung on for a draw, which means they finish second with five points, behind Belgium on goal difference, and will pla...

Iran on Friday condemned a joint statement issued by the US secretary of state and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) foreign ministers, describing it as “interventionist, irresponsible and provocative.” In a statement, the Iranian foreign ministry criticised positions outlined in the joint communique issued after the GCC-US ministerial meeting in Bahrain on Thursday and warned against what it called continued hostile and interventionist behaviour in the region. Tehran dismissed Washington’s stated “enduring commitment” to the security of GCC member states as “mere rhetoric” and a distortion of reality, arguing that the US military presence in the region has become a source of insecurity and division. The ministry said the recent use of military bases and facilities in regional countries during US and Israeli strikes on Iran demonstrated that Washington did not value the security of its regional partners. It urged regional states whose territory and facilities were allegedly used during the conflict to reconsider...

Pakistan and Iran on Thursday agreed to fully activate the Pakistan-Iran Joint Transport Committee and take coordinated measures to resolve transport and logistics issues on a priority basis to enhance bilateral trade and regional connectivity.

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday it may never be known who was at fault for a ​deadly strike on a girls’ school in Iran on February ‌28, the first day of the Iran war, that killed scores of children. Reuters reported in March that an initial internal US military investigation showed US forces were likely responsible ​for the fatal strike in Minab in southern Iran. The Pentagon ​has since elevated the probe but it has not acknowledged any ⁠preliminary findings. “I don’t know that they are ever going to solve ​that problem,” Trump told reporters. “I don’t know that they are ever going to ​solve that problem in terms of whose fault was it because there were missiles flying all over the place, and it’s horrible what happened but there were missiles flying ​all over the place,” he said. “Somebody said it was our missile, maybe ​it wasn’t our missile but I have seen nothing to lead me to believe ‌it ⁠was,” Trump remarked, adding: “I don’t think it was us.” The strike on February 28, when the US and Israe...

United States President Donald Trump faced pointed criticism over the Iran war in a closed-door meeting with fellow Republicans on Wednesday, shortly before his administration asked Congress for tens of billions of dollars to pay for the conflict. Several Republicans who attended said Trump engaged in a shouting match with Senator Bill Cassidy, who said the administration needed to explain a framework deal Trump signed last week that gives Iran financial incentives but falls short of the goals he laid out at the war’s beginning. “The American people need to know more than we are being told,” Cassidy told reporters. “It does not appear, although I don’t know for sure, that the course of this is going the way that we were told.” Later on Wednesday, the Senate’s Republican leaders scheduled a late-night vote to block a resolution calling for an end to hostilities with Iran in what appeared to be an effort to please the president. The Senate voted by 50 to 47, largely along party lines, to block a war powers reso...

• FO expects technical talks to resume on Tuesday • Hopes Hormuz tensions will ease with diplomatic progress • Urges Afghanistan to prevent terrorism emanating from its soil • Says govt pursuing release of crew members from hijacked tanker ISLAMABAD: Pakis­tan on Wednesday expre­ssed optimism over ongoing high-level technical talks between Iran and the United States, saying progress in trade and economic cooperation with Iran would be linked to the easing of international sanctions on Tehran. Addressing the weekly press briefing, Foreign Of­f­ice spokesperson Tahir Hus­sain Andrabi said the pathway towards sanctions relief for Iran had alre­ady been initiated thr­o­ugh talks held in Buergenstock, Switzerland. He described the process as a positive development and expressed the hope that the negotiations would produce constructive results as they moved forward. Responding to a question, the spokesman said there had been a temporary pause in technical-level discussions between Iran and the United States and tha...

DUBAI - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stressed Wednesday that the US would not “undermine” its Persian Gulf allies in the negotiations with Iran and said he “didn’t sense any doubts about our security assurances” to the region.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan and Iran have agreed to expand cooperation in security, counterterrorism, cybersecurity, and immigration, as Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi held detailed talks with his Iranian counterpart, Eskandar Momeni, on bilateral relations and the evolving regional situation following a peace agreement.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan and China yesterday reaffirmed their close coordination and shared commitment to advancing diplomatic efforts aimed at supporting the Iran–United States peace process, as both sides reviewed recent progress following high-level mediated talks in Burgenstock under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

The commitment was made during a high-level meeting in Islamabad between Pakistan’s Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research, Rana Tanveer Hussain, and Iran’s Minister of Agriculture, Gholamreza Nouri Ghezeljeh.

Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said on Wednesday that the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and Lucerne Summit reinforced “our faith in dialogue and diplomacy as the most effective means for peaceful settlement of disputes and conflicts”. He made these remarks during a weekly media briefing in Islamabad, where he recalled Pakistan’s efforts for peace between the US and Iran in recent days. Pakistan has been leading the peace efforts since the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran in late February, setting off a war and global fuel crisis as Tehran took measures to disrupt traffic in the Strait of Hormuz — a vital maritime corridor for the supply of oil and gas. The latest major developments pertaining to Pakistan’s efforts for de-escalation are the signing of the Islamabad MoU on June 18 — a 14-point accord aimed at ending the war — and key direct talks between the US and Iran, dubbed the Lake Lucerne Summit, held in Switzerland over the weekend. Pakistan’s efforts have been acknowl...

WASHINGTON: The US Senate has passed a largely symbolic resolution on Tuesday, calling for an end to President Donald Trump’s war with Iran, delivering a fresh rebuke to the White House as it tries to negotiate a lasting settlement with Tehran. The House-passed measure, adopted by the Senate in a 50-48 vote, directs Trump to remove US forces from hostilities with Iran unless Congress explicitly authorises military action. Because the measure is a “concurrent resolution,” it does not go to Trump’s desk for signature and carries disputed legal force. But its passage still puts both chambers of Congress on record against a conflict that began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran in late February, rattled global energy markets and opened a broader regional war involving Lebanon and Gulf states. The vote came as the Trump administration pursued a 60-day diplomatic push to turn a preliminary memorandum of understanding with Iran into a final agreement covering Tehran’s nuclear program, sanctions relief and the Strai...

ISLAMABAD - In a magnificent demonstration of mutual respect and the enduring fraternity between the two neighbouring brotherly nations, a 6-ship formation of JF-17 Thunder and F-16 Falcon aircraft of Pakistan Air Force extended a Ceremonial Air Escort to the aircraft carrying the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Dr Masoud Pezeshkian,.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday called for a “united front” of Muslim nations, extending “hands of friendship” for a new regional security structure. Key developments Iranian president holds “productive” talks with PM Shehbaz as he and FM Araghchi visit Pakistan Pezeshkian appreciates Pakistan’s peace efforts, highlights “age-old trust” between two nations Prime minister clarifies Iran’s ballistic missile programme not part of MoU with US President Zardari reaffirms Pakistan’s “principled support” for Iran’s peace CDF Munir, Pezeshkian discuss “peace initiatives” The Iranian president made the remarks during a one-day official visit to Pakistan, undertaken at PM Shehbaz’s invitation. The two leaders held a meeting at the Prime Minister House, which was followed by delegation-level talks. Addressing a joint press conference later with the prime minister, Pezeshkian said he held “constructive meetings and discussions” with PM Shehbaz, President Asif Ali Zardari and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) an...

The Karachi Gateway Terminal Ltd (KGTL) is planning up to $100 million in new investment within five years as Pakistan tries to cut freight costs and turn a cargo surge triggered by the Iran war into longer-term regional shipping gains. KGTL, backed by Abu Dhabi Ports Group, has already completed a $60m dredging project at Karachi Port and is expanding container and bulk-handling facilities, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Khurram Aziz Khan told Reuters in an interview. “We are targeting another $75 million to $100 million” within five years, Khan said, adding that the next phase would focus on expanding the container terminal, enhancing yard capacity, larger ship and yard cranes, dedicated bulk export infrastructure, silos, warehouses and automated conveying. Khurram Aziz Khan, CEO of Karachi Gateway Terminal Limited (KGTL) and Karachi Gateway Terminal Multipurpose Limited (KGTML), speaks during a Reuters interview in Karachi on June 23, 2026. — Reuters KGTL is also exploring investment in rail freight, includ...

Following months of all-out conflict that began on February 28, 2026, the United States and Iran have transitioned to a de-escalation phase. On June 17, Presidents Donald Trump and Masoud Pezeshkian signed a 14-point memorandum of understanding to end the war, establishing a 60-day ceasefire extension to negotiate the final terms of a deal. Pakistan served as a key mediator throughout the process. Following the signing and despite a rocky start, the first round of high-level talks concluded in Bürgenstock, Switzerland on Monday, June 22, with the two sides agreeing on a roadmap towards a final deal within 60 days, along with communication lines to keep the Strait of Hormuz open and a deconfliction cell to end fighting in Lebanon. Mediators Pakistan and Qatar described the outcome as reflecting encouraging progress, with technical talks set to continue through the rest of the week at Bürgenstock. Most observers and experts describe the overall process as a considerable (if still fragile) breakthrough in one of...