Iranian | Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakis­tan on Monday invited Iran’s parliament speaker and foreign minister for urgent consultations on regional developments, as Tehran described Islamabad as its primary mediator with the US. National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq invited Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s chief negotiator with Washington and speaker of parliament. Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, meanwhile, invited his Iranian counterpart, Seyyed Abbas Araghchi. The invitations were delivered in Tehran late Monday night after Dar spoke with Araghchi. “They exchanged views on regional and international developments, including the deteriorating situation in Occupied East Jerusalem,” the Foreign Office said in a statement. It remained unclear when Ghalibaf and Araghchi would travel to Pakistan. A diplomatic source said both men had been asked to come as soon as possible for discussions on regional and international developments. Araghchi was in Iraq on Monday for Arbaeen, which is being observed on Tuesday. The invitations came roughly 36 ho...

KARACHI: The influx of smuggled Iranian oil has drastically declined as tankers were hit inside Balo­chistan, causing heavy losses to those involved in this illegal business, according to sources in the oil sector. The oil companies have been demanding that oil smuggling be stopped, but it has continued for years. However, the arrival of Iranian petroleum products increased after the US-Israeli war on Tehran began, pushing crude oil prices above $100 per barrel. “Over the past month and a half, at least six oil tankers coming from Iran were destroyed by terrorists, but the actual number is not known,” said the source familiar with those in the oil business. However, it was not confirmed by other sources. Since the US-Israeli attack on Iran on Feb 28, the entire world was shocked due to due to closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which is the world’s most critical energy transit chokepoint, carrying roughly 20pc of global oil, 20pc of liquefied natural gas (LNG), and about one-third of the world’s fertiliser trade...

ISLAMABAD - A high-level Iranian delegation visited the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday.

Iran’s Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni met Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir on Tuesday at General Headquarters in Rawalpindi. During the meeting, matters of mutual interest, regional and bilateral security, and effective border management were discussed, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). The visiting Iranian dignitary appreciated Pakistan’s consistent efforts and its diplomatic role in easing regional tensions, encouraging de-escalation and serving as an anchor for peace. The meeting concluded with a reaffirmation of the resolve to maintain close coordination and cooperative mechanisms to safeguard regional security and promote mutual prosperity, the ISPR added. Earlier today, Momeni held a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the PM House. The premier expressed concern over the escalation in the Middle East and reiterated Pakistan’s willingness to sincerely mediate in the conflict between the United States and Iran. According ...

Central Command later says it hits Iranian coastal surveillance and air defence facilities

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) threatened to close “all other export corridors that benefit the US and its allies”, Iranian media reported on Wednesday, after Tehran shut the Strait of Hormuz and the US reimposed a naval blockade of Iranian ports. The IRGC said the renewed US blockade had cut off oil and gas exports to the world, including “America’s economic rivals”, and warned that routes serving US and allied interests could also be shut, Iran’s state news agency, IRNA, reported on Wednesday. “Regional energy exports are either shared by all or denied to all,” the IRGC said in its statement. It also said that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until “the end of America’s evils”. The vital Strait of Hormuz, which served as the passage for one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas supply daily during peacetime, is now at the centre of a flare-up in the US-Israeli war on Iran that has rattled the Middle East and pushed up global energy prices. Analysts have said Iran has also been signalling...

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.