Tehran | Pakistan

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif confirmed on Sunday that Pakistan had received Iran’s response to a US proposal to end the war in the Middle East. Speaking at a ceremony held in Islamabad to commemorate Marka-i-Haq, the premier mentioned Pakistan’s efforts for de-escalation between the US and Iran, stating that Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir had informed him “a while ago” that Pakistan had received Iran’s response. “I cannot go into more detail. But, I commend the efforts of Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and congratulate Field Marshal Asim Munir, who has dedicated himself [to this cause],” he said. Earlier, Iranian media reported that Iran had sent its response to the US proposal via Pakistan. “The Islamic Republic of Iran sent today through Pakistani mediators its response to the latest text proposed by the United States to end the war,” the official IRNA news agency said. Iranian news agency ISNA reported that Tehran’s response to the latest US peace proposal fo...

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that his representatives were having “very positive discussions” with Iran that could “lead to something very positive for all”. He made these remarks in a Truth Social Post, also announcing an initiative to guide vessels stuck in the Strait of Hormuz out of the waterway, hours after Tehran said on Sunday that the United States had responded to its 14-point proposal via Pakistan. Iranian state media quoted a foreign ministry spokesperson as saying that Tehran was reviewing the response. Later, US Special Envoy on Middle East Steve Witkoff told CNN the US was “in conversation” with Iran as they weighed negotiations to end the war. This was followed by Trump’s post on Truth Social, where he said: “I am fully aware that my Representatives are having very positive discussions with the Country of Iran, and that these discussions could lead to something very positive for all.” He also said that countries from across the world, “almost all of which are not involved in the Mid...

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said on Wednesday that the Islamic republic appreciated Pakistan’s efforts to end the Middle East war, without commenting on a ceasefire extension announced by the United States. He expressed these views while answering reporters’ questions, a statement by Iran’s foreign ministry said, adding that Baqaei was asked about Pakistan’s request to extend a ceasefire agreed between Tehran and Washington on April 8. Iranian foreign ministry’s statement said that while “expressing gratitude for Pakistan’s gracious efforts and mediation attempts to end the imposed war and establish peace in the region”, Baqaei stressed that Tehran “is taking the necessary measures to safeguard Iran’s national interests and security”. He added that Iranian armed forces stood “ready to comprehensively and decisively defend the nation’s integrity against any threat or hostility”. When asked about the possibility of a second round of talks with the US, the statement said, Baqaei replied: “Di...

Pakistan has stepped up diplomatic efforts to facilitate a second round of negotiations between Iran and the United States, with signs of both progress and hesitation emerging as Tehran adopts a cautious stance.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Friday held a high-level meeting with Pakistan’s Chief of Defence Forces, Field Marshal Asim Munir, in Tehran, according to Iranian state media posts shared on social media platform X.

• Araghchi denies rejecting Pakistan as venue for talks • Dar discusses UN resolution with Bahrain FM, calls Egyptian counterpart • Ghalibaf says sustainable security in region Iran’s priority, offers bilateral arrangements ISLAMABAD: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Saturday pushed back at reports that Iran was unwilling to travel to Islamabad for future talks with the US, underscoring that Tehran’s position hinged on the terms and conditions of any negotiations. “Iran’s position is being misrepresented by the US media. We are deeply grateful to Pakistan for its efforts and have never refused to go to Islamabad,” Mr Araghchi said in a post on X. “What we care about are the terms of a conclusive and lasting END to the illegal war that is imposed on us,” he further said. His remarks came a day after a report by The Wall Street Journal said Iran had declined to participate in talks in Islamabad, citing objections to US demands and suggesting Pakistan’s efforts had stalled. Responding to Mr Araghchi, P...

Airstrikes reportedly carried out by Israel struck areas near the Pakistan Embassy and the residence of Pakistan’s ambassador in Tehran on Thursday night, according to a report by Türkiye Today.

Israel launched strikes across Iran on Thursday, hours after US President Donald Trump said Tehran wanted a deal to end the nearly four-week war despite its top diplomat rejecting any talks with Washington. The conflict has mushroomed to draw in nations around the Middle East, sending energy markets into a tailspin and threatening to torpedo the global economy. Iran, under near-daily bombardment since a joint US-Israeli attack started the war on February 28, was hit early on Thursday by what the Israeli army said was “a wide-scale wave of strikes targeting infrastructure”, including in the central city of Isfahan. In turn, an Iranian missile attack activated sirens across central Israel, including Tel Aviv and parts of Jerusalem, on Thursday morning, according to the Israeli military, the first launches it identified from Iran in more than 14 hours. Trump, whose daily statements have swung wildly from threatening to conciliatory, said talks to end the war were ongoing with Iran, but that officials in Tehran w...

Iranian women shout slogans after Eidul Fitr prayers at the Grand Mosalla mosque in Tehran.—AFP • Trump manages to secure backing from some allies for potential mission to unblock the strait • Tehran says Hormuz open to all, except aggressors • US Treasury lifts sanctions on Iran oil; Bessent says Washington may ‘escalate to de-escalate’ • Hit hard over Eid, Tehran strikes back with largest salvo yet against Israel • Gulf states reject accusation they back military actions against Iran JERUSALEM / TEH­RAN: A day after Iranian forces launched a punishing series of retaliatory attacks against Israel, the country’s president said that “threats and terror” would only make the country more unified. The message from Masoud Pezeshkian came after Trump threatened to attack Iran’s power plants if the Strait of Hormuz was not fully reopened, and called on other nations to help end the closure. White House Press Sec­retary Karoline Leavitt said that Washington is “already starting to see them (Nato) answer the president...

As gravediggers prepared new burial plots for those killed in the US-Israeli attack on Iran, Marzia Razaei wept for her son Arfan Shamei, who died in a blast at a military training camp days before he was due home on leave. The war that began on February 28 with a blitz of air strikes on Tehran and other cities has killed more than 1,300 Iranians so far, according to Iranian officials, and plunged the Middle East into crisis. Marzia Rezaei reacts while standing near the grave of her son, Erfan, who was killed in strikes, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, at Behesht-e Zahra cemetery, in Tehran, Iran, March 16, 2026. — Reuters Tears streamed down Razaei’s face and she stared vacantly, hugging a large portrait of Shamei, 23, her voice breaking with grief as she recalled her last conversation with him when they discussed his coming trip back home to his family. “I hadn’t seen him for two months,” she said, adding that his last day before heading home was meant to have been Monday, the day Reuters met her....

Iran has asked India to release three tankers seized in February as part of talks ​seeking the safe passage of Indian‑flagged or India‑bound vessels out of the Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz, three sources ‌with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. Indian authorities seized the three Iran‑linked tankers near Indian waters, alleging they had concealed or altered their identities and were involved in illegal ship‑to‑ship transfers at sea. Tehran has also sought supplies of certain medicines and medical equipment, according to one of the sources, an Iranian official. Iran’s ambassador to ​New Delhi met Indian foreign ministry officials on Monday to discuss the issue, the source said. The sources declined to be named ​due to the sensitivity of the matter. India’s foreign ministry, the Iranian embassy in New Delhi, and Iran’s ⁠foreign ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment. Iran recently allowed two Indian liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tankers to pass through the ​strait, according t...

ISLAMABAD - As tensions between Washington and Tehran continue to reverberate across the Middle East, Pakistan has increasingly found itself at the centre of a delicate diplomatic balancing act, carefully calibrating its foreign policy to maintain ties with the United States while avoiding confrontation with neighbouring Iran, a.

• Under India’s chairmanship, the expanded bloc has remained silent • Pezeshkian, Araghchi urge Indian counterparts to spearhead a ‘strong and constructive’ intervention • New Delhi caught in a diplomatic bind amid domestic LPG crisis; balances pro-Israel comments with its ‘friend of Iran’ status NEW DELHI: Iran’s top leaders have urged their Indian counterparts to activate the BRICS to play a “strong and constructive role” in the escalating war with the US and Israel, according to Iranian government readouts of recent telephone conversations. The issue was raised during calls late on Thursday, March 12, between Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and separately between Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. Tehran pressed New Delhi, which currently chairs the BRICS bloc, to help address the West Asia conflict that has disrupted global energy supplies and shipping routes, The Wire reported, citing an Iranian readout. The Iran...

TEHRAN: A massive fireball erupts after an oil depot was targeted by US-Israeli bombing. The destruction of refineries and storage facilities in Iran’s capital precipitated a toxic ‘oil rain’ over the city, with skies darkened by thick black smoke.—AFP • Capital plunges into darkness; residents warned of chemical burns, acrid fumes • Lebanon terrorised as Israeli strike targets Beirut hotel • Israel, Trump vow to pursue, kill any successor to Khamenei • Iran unleashes missiles on Gulf neighbours; Pezeshkian says they were ‘forced to respond’ • Arab League condemns ‘reckless’ Iranian attacks as diplomacy falters • Bahrain blames Tehran for attack on water plant TEHRAN: Residents of Iran’s capital awoke on Sunday to a darkened, apocalyptic sky as a black, oily rain fell, a day after Israeli airstrikes targeted refineries and fuel depots, plunging the sprawling metropolis into a toxic gloom. The nine-day-old war launched by a US-Israeli coalition against Iran has now engulfed much of the Middle East, with strike...

US President Donald Trump said he was considering a limited strike on Iran after ordering a major naval buildup in the Middle East aimed at heaping pressure on Tehran to cut a deal to curb its nuclear programme. The latest threat came after Iran’s foreign minister said a draft proposal for an agreement with Washington would be ready in a matter of days following negotiations between the two sides in Geneva earlier this week. Trump had suggested on Thursday that “bad things” would happen if Tehran did not strike a deal within 10 days, which he subsequently extended to 15. Asked by a reporter on Friday whether he was contemplating a limited military strike, Trump answered: “The most I can say — I am considering it.” After the talks in Geneva, Tehran said the two sides had agreed to submit drafts of a potential agreement, which Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told US media would be the “next step”. “I believe that in the next two, three days, that would be ready, and after final confirmation by my superi...

• FO backs Muscat dialogue, says Islamabad ‘ready to take part in any form of diplomacy’ on Iran • Confirms PM Shehbaz, FM Dar will attend ‘Board of Peace’ meeting in Washington next week • Pakistan ‘will stand by Muslim bloc to raise collective voice for Palestinians’ ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday urged the United States and Iran to move towards direct negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear programme. “Whilst we stand ready to participate in any format of dialogue and diplomacy on Iran, we encourage the relevant parties to have as direct a negotiation framework as possible,” Foreign Office spokesman Tahir Andrabi said at the weekly media briefing. The indirect Iran-US talks took place in Muscat on Feb 6 amid heightened regional tensions, including an expanded US military presence and warnings from President Donald Trump of severe consequences if no deal is reached. The session was mediated by Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, who shuttled between the two sides. Both sides described the discussions as a “...

ISLAMABAD: Iran’s envoy to Pakistan, Reza Amiri Moghadam, revealed on Thursday that US President Donald Trump informed Tehran that he will not attack the country and asked that Iran also exercise restraint. Moghadam made the remarks during a visit to the National Rahmatul-lil-Alameen Authority, where he met the authority’s chairman, Khurshid Ahmad Nadeem. Protests have taken place across Iran in a movement sparked by anger over the rising cost of living, leading to authorities imposing internet restrictions. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to intervene in support of protesters. On Wednesday, Trump said that he had been informed the killings of protesters in Iran had been halted, and added that he would “watch and see” about threatened military action. The Iranian envoy also disclosed that he received information at around 1am, which indicated that Trump did not want war and had asked Iran not to attack the US interests in the region. Speaking of the protests, the envoy maintained that the ...

Iran was laying plans on Saturday to cut off water supplies periodically to Tehran’s 10-million-strong population as it battles its worst drought in many decades. Rainfall in the capital has this year been at its lowest level in a century, local officials say, and half of Iran’s provinces have not seen a drop fall in months. Now, to save water, the government is planning water cuts in Tehran — and several local news outlets have already reported pipes running dry overnight in some areas. “This will help avoid waste even though it may cause inconvenience,” Iran’s Energy Minister Abbas Ali Abadi said on state television. In a speech broadcast on Friday, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian had warned that Tehran might have to be evacuated if no rain falls before the end of the year. But he gave no details about how such a vast operation would be conducted. Tehran nestles on the southern slopes of the Alborz mountains and has hot, dry summers usually relieved by autumn rains and winter snowfall. Iranians drink wat...

The inaugural flight of Mahan Air (W5-1184) successfully departed from Islamabad International Airport (IIAP) for Tehran on Thursday, marking the commencement of the Iranian carrier’s regular air service between the two capitals.

Tehran’s main source of drinking water is at risk of running dry within two weeks, state media warned on Sunday, owing to a historic drought. The Amir Kabir dam, one of five which provide drinking water for the capital, “holds just 14 million cubic metres of water, which is 8 per cent of its capacity,” the director of the capital’s water company, Behzad Parsa, was quoted as saying by the IRNA news agency. At that level, it can only continue to supply Tehran with water “for two weeks”, he said. The megacity of more than 10 million people is nestled against the southern slopes of the often snow-capped Alborz mountains, which soar as high as 5,600 metres and whose rivers feed multiple reservoirs. But the country is in the midst of its worst drought in decades. The level of rainfall in Tehran province was “nearly without precedent for a century,” a local official declared last month. A year ago, the Amir Kabir dam held back 86 million cubic metres of water, Parsa said, but there had been a “100pc drop in precipit...