Iranian | Pakistan

Three tankers including a Qatari LNG vessel were struck within hours in the Strait of Hormuz, maritime monitors and Qatar said on Tuesday, with peace mediator Doha denouncing an “unacceptable” Iranian attack. An “unknown projectile” hit a tanker overnight, causing a fire, before two more were hit, at least one by a drone, British maritime security agency UKMTO said. The string of attacks after more than a week of respite revived concerns about freedom of navigation after Iran lifted its blockade of the vital waterway following a fragile ceasefire with the United States. All three vessels were struck close to Oman. Oman had proposed a temporary transit corridor hugging its coastline in an initiative opposed by Iran, which wants to charge ships using the narrow waterway. Qatar, which helped broker the truce, blamed Iran for the attack on its tanker and urged Tehran to “cease all practices that undermine regional security or threaten the safety of international maritime navigation”. “The targeting of the Qatari ...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will visit Iran and Turkiye from July 3 to July 5, Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Tahir Andrabi confirmed on Thursday. Addressing a weekly briefing, Andrabi said that during his visit to Iran, the premier would participate in the funeral of late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was assassinated in US-Israeli strikes on February 28. The FO spokesperson said PM Shehbaz will travel to Iran first for Khamenei’s funeral. Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, cabinet members and senior officials will accompany the premier on his visit. “The prime minister will convey condolences on behalf of the people and government of Pakistan to the Iranian leadership and the bereaved families while reaffirming solidarity with the brotherly nation in their hour of profound grief,” he said. PM Shehbaz will then visit Istanbul at the invitation of Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Andrabi said. He added that the premier will “hold discussions on the entire gamut of bilateral re...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held a telephone conversation with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, during which the two leaders discussed regional developments and bilateral cooperation, the Foreign Office said on Saturday.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Friday said 22 Iranian crew members of a tanker earlier seized by the United States have arrived in Pakistan. On April 13, during the US-Iran war, Washington imposed a naval blockade and would target and board oil tankers and other vessels trying to enter or leave Iranian ports. One of these was the M/T Davina, which was seized during an overnight interdiction by American forces. In a post on X, the deputy prime minister said that the 22 crew members served on the Davina, adding: “Arrangements are now being finalised in close collaboration with the Iranian missions in Pakistan to facilitate their earliest and safe return to their homeland.” “We remained in close contact with the US and Iranian authorities throughout this process.” Dar added that this was the fourth group of Iranian crew members whose repatriation was facilitated by Pakistan over the last two months. “So far, we have assisted in the repatriation of over 70 Iranian brethren (including toda...

KARACHI: Pakistan could once again tap Iranian crude oil supplies following a temporary easing of US sanctions on Tehran, reopening the possibility of sourcing discounted crude and refining it locally to produce higher-value petroleum products. While industry experts say local refineries are technically capable of processing Iranian crude, commercial and operational challenges remain, particularly due to the high furnace oil yield and the absence of significant domestic demand for the fuel. Pakistan Refinery Ltd (PRL) had previously imported Iranian crude under a long-term contract with the National Iranian Oil Company, but purchases halted after US sanctions were imposed. Since then, no Iranian oil has been imported into the country. Commenting on the prospects for refining Iranian crude oil, a former head of a leading refinery in Karachi told Dawn that the scenarios are changing and sanctions are being lifted temporarily. The outcome remains uncertain over the next two months. Discounts, demand and tech upg...

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met with his Iranian counterpart, Eskandar Momeni, and stated that Pakistan would continue its efforts for lasting peace in the Middle East, the interior ministry said on Wednesday. In a statement, the ministry said the two ministers met in Islamabad, and held a detailed discussion on Pak-Iran ties and the latest situation in the region. Momeni was part of a delegation led by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, which visited Pakistan on Tuesday after the US and Iran signed a ‘Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding’ (MoU) to end the Middle East conflict and held high-level talks in Burgenstock, Switzerland. According to the ministry, the Iranian minister thanked Naqvi for the warm welcome accorded to Pezeshkian and the Iranian delegation. Both ministers expressed satisfaction at the de-escalation in the region. Meanwhile, Naqvi congratulated the Iranian minister on the joint statement issued after the US-Iran talks in Switzerland. “This agreement would not have been possible with...

ISLAMABAD - Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister (DPM/FM), Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Monday announced the successful repatriation of eight Iranian fishermen who had been rescued at sea after their boat ran aground.

The Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) has spearheaded the repatriation and humanitarian assistance of eight Iranian nationals who were rescued at sea by a British vessel, it said in a press release on Sunday. The Iranian nationals had been rescued by the British vessel MMA Valour after their boat ran aground, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar had said on Wednesday. The PMSA said that efforts for the “necessary reception, documentation, medical screening and coordination for onward repatriation” were undertaken under its lead coordination. Representatives from the foreign ministry, Pakistan Navy, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Consulate General of Iran and relevant international stakeholders were also present during the process, the PMSA said. “The operation was conducted in close coordination with national and international stakeholders, reflecting Pakistan’s commitment towards humanitarian assistance, safety of life at sea and regional maritime cooperation,” the statement said....

Pakistan has facilitated the repatriation of 30 Iranian nationals, including eight fishermen, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar announced on Wednesday.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Wednesday that Pakistan was “pleased to facilitate the repatriation of 30 Iranian nationals”. In a post on the social media platform X, he said that this number included “eight Iranian fishermen rescued at sea by the British vessel MMA Valour after their boat ran aground, and 22 Iranian crew members from the vessel Lenore/Davina, recently interdicted by US authorities”. “Both groups are expected to transit through Karachi in the coming days,” he said. “We remain in close coordination with the Iranian, United States and United Kingdom authorities to ensure the safe transit and early return of our Iranian brethren to their homeland. Pakistan remains committed to humanitarian cooperation and to extending every possible assistance to our Iranian brothers,” he said. Earlier this month, US forces conducted an interdiction of ​the sanctioned oil tanker Davina in the Indian Ocean, the US military’s Indo-Pacific Command, which has now reverted back to the na...

The US said it struck Iranian military sites at the weekend and Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Monday it had targeted a US base in response, the latest in a series of exchanges amid negotiations to end the three-month-old war. The strikes on Iran’s Gulf coast were in response to “aggressive Iranian actions that included the shootdown of a US MQ-1 drone that was operating over international waters,” the US Central Command said in a post on X. “US fighter aircraft swiftly responded by eliminating Iranian air defences, a ground control station, and two one-way attack drones that posed clear threats to ships transiting regional waters,” Centcom said, adding it will continue to protect US assets and interests during the ongoing ceasefire. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Monday it had targeted an air base used by the US for an attack on southern Iran, without identifying which base. Air defences in Kuwait, where a major US base is located, were intercepting missile and drone attacks on Monday ...

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday rejected a report by a US media outlet alleging that Pakistan had allowed Iranian military aircraft to use its airbases during Islamabad’s role as a mediator in the Middle East conflict.

The Foreign Office (FO) on Tuesday termed a report by an American media outlet claiming that Islamabad “quietly allowed” Iranian military aircraft to park on its airfields while playing the role of a mediator in the Middle East conflict as “misleading and sensationalised”. Citing US officials, CBS News had alleged that days after US President Trump announced the ceasefire with Iran in early April, Tehran sent multiple aircraft to the Nur Khan Air Base. “Among the military hardware was an Iranian Air Force RC-130, a reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering variant of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules tactical transport aircraft,” the report claimed. In a response issued on Tuesday, the FO said, “Pakistan categorically rejects the CBS News report regarding the presence of Iranian aircraft at Nur Khan Airbase as misleading and sensationalised. Such speculative narratives appear aimed at undermining ongoing efforts for regional stability and peace.” “Following the ceasefire and during the initial round of the Islamaba...

Pakistani officials have dismissed as “misleading and exaggerated” recent foreign media reports suggesting that Iran parked military aircraft in Pakistan to shield them from possible US strikes, saying the presence of Iranian aircraft at Nur Khan Airbase was linked to the diplomatic and logistical requirements of the Islamabad peace.

Sources say both Iranian and US aircraft arrived at the airbase for diplomatic logistics tied to Islamabad Talks

Iranian sailors, who had been evacuated to Pakistan after being released by the United States, crossed the border and entered their home territory on Monday, reported Iranian state media. According to IRNA, 15 of the 22 sailors crossed through the Rimdan border terminal in Sistan-Baluchistan. Earlier, the Foreign Office (FO) said that as a “confidence-building measure” by the US, 22 crew members on an Iranian ship seized by US forces had been evacuated to Pakistan. The statement came hours after American outlet ABC News reported that an Iranian ship seized by the US after it “failed to comply” with the blockade imposed by the country on Iranian ports had been transferred to Pakistan for repatriation. “US forces completed the transfer of 22 crew members of M/V Touska to Pakistan for repatriation,“ the report quoted US Central Command Spokesperson Captain Tim Hawkins as saying. “Six other passengers were already transferred to a regional country for repatriation last week,” he said. According to the report, Ira...

Fire broke out at a major UAE oil industry zone on Monday after a drone attack originating from Iran, ​authorities said, as the Gulf state’s military separately intercepted three Iranian ‌missiles over its waters and a fourth crashed into the sea. Civil defence teams were deployed immediately to contain the blaze at the Fujairah Oil Industry Zone, the Fujairah Media Office ​said in a statement, adding that three Indian citizens were moderately injured ​in the attack and taken to the hospital. The UAE defence ministry said ⁠on X that its forces had intercepted three missiles, with a fourth falling ​into the sea. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Navy issued a map it said showed an ​expansion of areas under Iranian control near the Strait of Hormuz, encompassing the UAE ports of Fujairah and Khorfakkan as well as the coast of the Umm Al Quwain emirate, Iranian ​news agencies reported. The drone attacks shattered a period of relative calm in the ​UAE since a Pakistani-mediated ceasefire between Washington and Tehran t...

The Iranian Rial continued to trade at a significant premium in Pakistan’s informal currency markets, with one crore Iranian rials currently exchanging between PKR 8,000 and PKR 10,000 in Karachi, Quetta and Lahore.

Bahrain revoked the citizenship of 69 people over what it described as sympathy with Iran’s hostile acts and collaboration with foreign entities, the kingdom’s interior ministry said in a statement. The ministry said that the 69 people included accused individuals and their family members, and that they were all of non-Bahraini origin. “The Bahraini nationality has been revoked from those individuals for glorifying or sympathising with the hostile Iranian acts, or engaging in contacts with external parties,” the ministry said. It said the revocations had been carried out in accordance with royal directives from King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and were based on Article 10/3 of the Bahraini Nationality Law. The article provides for the revocation of citizenship in cases of “causing harm to the interests of the Kingdom or acting in a manner that contradicts the duty of loyalty to it”. The interior ministry said the competent authorities were “continuing to study and review” who deserves Bahraini citizenship. Sayed...

An Iranian delegation led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi left Islamabad on Saturday after meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir. However, Iranian state media said Araghchi will head back to Pakistan after visiting Oman. The IRNA news agency, citing the foreign ministry, reported that Araghchi “is scheduled to visit Pakistan again after completing his trip to Oman and before travelling to Russia”. Part of his delegation had returned to Tehran, it added, “to consult and obtain the necessary instructions on issues related to ending the war, and is scheduled to rejoin Araghchi in Islamabad on Sunday night”. At the same time, US President Donald Trump cancelled the visit of US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who were expected to depart for Pakistan later in the day for talks with Iran. Araghchi’s meetings The Iranian foreign minister termed his visit to Pakistan “very fruitful”. In a post on X, he said, “Very fruitful visit ...