Tehran | Pakistan

Fresh US strikes triggered air defences in Tehran on Wednesday after President Donald Trump warned he was “not finished” with a war on Iran that has already cost his nation $37.5 billion. After the foes’ fighting over the strategic Strait of Hormuz led to the collapse of a preliminary deal, the Middle East war has expanded to include the region’s other key chokepoint for global oil supplies. The US military said its latest attacks hit targets such as “military logistics infrastructure” while Iranian state media reported strikes around the country, including Bushehr, which hosts a nuclear power plant. “News sources reported minutes ago that air defence activity was heard in the west, east and northeast of Tehran,” state TV posted on Telegram. As the war nears the five-month mark and November legislative elections approach, Trump has faced intense political pressure to end the conflict, which is unpopular even with segments of his base. Critics have pointed to the cost of the war that Pentagon Chief Pete Hegset...

The US, early on Thursday, launched a second wave of attacks on Iran’s coastal defences and missile sites within a span of 24 hours after reimposing a naval blockade of Iranian ports, and Tehran responded by again targeting US military sites in neighboring Gulf countries. The latest escalation comes days after a fragile truce collapsed, raising the specter of a return to full-scale war, with Iran once again threatening to shut off more regional energy exports after blocking the vital Strait of Hormuz. Hostilities have intensified since Iran said late on Saturday it had closed the Strait of Hormuz. Military operations are also keeping ships from transiting the vital artery, which carried about a fifth of global oil and gas shipments before the US-Israeli war on Iran. Brent crude oil, the international benchmark, closed at a one-month high of $84.95 a barrel on Wednesday. US Central Command said the military had attacked coastal defence systems and cruise missile storage and launch sites on Iran’s Greater Tunb ...

Pakistan’s recent diplomatic efforts for achieving sustainable peace in the deserve to be assessed not by whether they produced an immediate US-Iran agreement, but by what they strategically accomplished. First, it helped create diplomatic space at a critical moment, reducing the risk of a disastrous regional escalation. Second, it contributed to bringing Washington and Tehran into direct high-level engagement after nearly five decades of estrangement, demonstrating that dialogue remained possible even amid military confrontation. Third, and perhaps most importantly, the process helped identify the real sticking point around which any future negotiations must ultimately be built. Whenever tensions between the United States and Iran dominate international headlines, the debate almost invariably revolves around Iran’s nuclear programme. Yet, this focus often obscures the deeper strategic issue that has repeatedly frustrated diplomatic efforts. The nuclear file is important, but it is not the decisive obstacle. ...

The United States struck Iran on Monday for a second day running, drawing Tehran’s reprisals against US allies in the Gulf as the foes battle over the status of the strategic Strait of Hormuz. The flare-up is the latest to undermine an interim agreement between Washington and Tehran aimed at ending their war, which has caused global economic shockwaves since it began in late February. The latest salvo by US forces began at 2100 GMT on Sunday, Central Command (Centcom) said on X. The fresh strikes came less than 24 hours after a previous wave in which the US Centcom said 140 Iranian military targets were hit. In a subsequent post, Centcom said it had completed a new wave of “offensive strikes” against Iran, hitting “dozens of targets at multiple locations with precision munitions to degrade Iran’s ability to continue attacking international shipping flowing through the Strait of Hormuz”. “Centcom forces struck Iranian military air-defence systems, coastal radar sites, missile and drone capabilities, and small ...

The US military launched fresh strikes on Iran after the latter struck a container ship on Sunday, while Tehran said it had again closed the Strait of Hormuz and escalated attacks on US facilities in states across the Gulf. The strikes were the latest in a cycle of attacks and counter-attacks as Iran seeks to assert control over shipping through the strait. However, the latest barrage marked a sharp escalation in pace and range. The attacks extended to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which had not been targeted since early May, and Qatar, a mediator in ceasefire talks that had not come under attack since April. Iran said it closed the strait after firing a warning ​shot that struck a vessel travelling on an “unauthorised route”. It warned that any retaliation over the incident would be met with a “severe response”. Iran later said it had disabled a second vessel. India said one of its nationals was missing after an attack on the container ship GFS Galaxy off the coast of Oman earlier on Sunday. Oman said 23 c...

The US military launched fresh strikes on Iran after the latter struck a container ship on Sunday ‌while Tehran said it had again closed the Strait of Hormuz and escalated attacks on US facilities in states across the Gulf. A series of attacks between the US and Iran over the past several days led President Donald Trump to declare the end of a ceasefire meant to halt the war on Iran that the US and Israel began on February 28, though Trump has left the door open to continued negotiations. Iran said it closed the strait after firing a warning ​shot that struck a vessel travelling on an unapproved route. It warned that any retaliation over the incident would be met with a “severe response.” The US Central Command, however, claimed commercial ​vessels continue to transit through the waterway that carried one-fifth of the world’s oil and LNG shipments before the war. The Central Command said US forces hit 140 Iranian military targets on Saturday, out of more than 300 during three nights of strikes “to degrade Ira...

Vast crowds gathered for the funeral procession of Iran’s assassinated supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran on Monday, with authorities estimating millions were on the streets in numbers that could rival those of his predecessor’s farewell nearly four decades ago. Authorities have yet to give an official turnout figure but AFP images showed huge numbers stretching along major boulevards in the Iranian capital. After lying in state for two days at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla religious complex, the body of Khamenei — who was assassinated on the first day of the Middle East war on February 28 — began its journey through the capital accompanied by massive crowds of mourners. Flower petals covered the coffin as it made its way along the streets, AFP images showed. Mourners, some throwing flower petals, gather near the coffins of Iran’s slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei and members of his family during a funeral procession in Tehran on July 6, 2026. — AFP Mourners gathered in Imam Hussein Square in eastern Te...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif paid tribute to Iran's late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during his visit to Tehran, saying Muslims around the world would remember him as a great scholar and leader.

Mourners and leaders from around the world, including Pakistan, gathered at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla to pay tribute to Iran’s former Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, who was assassinated in a US-Israeli strike on Iran in February 2026. The funeral ceremonies will pass through a series of locations — from the seat of power in Tehran to the holy cities of Qom, Karbala, Najaf and finally Mashhad — reflecting the religious, political and ideological pillars of the Islamic republic. His funeral, initially delayed at the height of the Middle East war, is taking place as Iran and the US observe a fragile ceasefire following the signing of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding to halt the conflict. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir offering prayers during the state funeral of Iran’s late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran. — AFP Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif writing in the condolence book during the state funeral of Iran’s late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali ...

TEHRAN: Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir arrived in Tehran on Friday to attend the funeral prayers of Iran's late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

Chairman, Senate of Pakistan, Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, departed for the Islamic Republic of Iran to attend the official funeral ceremony of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, scheduled to be held in Tehran on July 3, 2026.

National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq is scheduled to visit Tehran on July 2 to represent Pakistan at the funeral ceremony of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, according to official sources.

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...

• IRNA says ‘important message’ meant for Iran’s supreme leader • Interior minister receives instructions from PM before departure ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Saturday stepped up efforts to break the impasse in the US-Iran dialogue, with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi arriving in Tehran carrying a message from Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir for Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. Mr Naqvi was received by his Iranian counterpart Eskandar Momeni. Pakistan’s newly appointed ambassador to Iran, Imran Ahmad Siddiqui, was also present. The visit comes at a delicate moment in the diplomatic process that Pakistan has been facilitating for months, as indirect negotiations between Washington and Tehran have drifted into what diplomats describe as a fragile stalemate despite both sides continuing to publicly endorse diplomacy over renewed confrontation. Iran’s official news agency IRNA, quoting an informed source, reported that Mr Naqvi was carrying an “important message” from Field Marshal Munir for M...

United States President Donald Trump said he had secured guarantees from Iran that it would not develop nuclear weapons, as reports emerged he had sent a tougher peace proposal back to Tehran. Any tweaks to the proposal could prolong even further an agreement to formally end the Middle East war and open the Strait of Hormuz maritime route after weeks of efforts to secure a deal despite fractious rhetoric and the occasional flare-up of armed conflict. The New York Times and Axios media outlets reported on Saturday that Trump had sent back a new framework to be considered by Iran with “tougher” terms, though it was not immediately clear what that entailed. Trump has said his priorities for any deal include stopping Iran from any nuclear weapon development and re-opening the blockaded Strait of Hormuz. “The one guarantee that I have to have is that there will be no nuclear weapons. They’ve agreed to that, and it was very interesting,” he told his daughter-in-law Lara Trump in an interview broadcast on her Fox Ne...

Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir conducted intensive negotiations with the Iranian leadership over the past 24 hours that have resulted in “encouraging progress towards a final understanding”, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement on Saturday. The engagements with Iran’s senior leadership were held in a “positive and constructive environment” and contributed meaningfully to the ongoing mediation process, the military’s media wing said following the conclusion of the army chief’s Tehran visit. The visit came at a time when negotiations appeared to have moved beyond political signalling into detailed bargaining over a narrow interim framework dealing with the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s nuclear programme, sanctions relief and guarantees against renewed military action. “During the visit, the field marshal held high-level engagements with Iranian leadership as part of ongoing mediation efforts aimed at promoting de-escalation and constructive enga...

ISLAMABAD/Tehran/WASHINGTON - Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, NI (M), HJ, arrived in Tehran as part of ongoing mediation efforts on Friday.

CHIEF of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir is embraced by Iran’s Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni upon his arrival in Tehran.—AFP • Rubio says US in constant contact with Field Marshal Munir as the latter arrives in Iran • Notes ‘some progress’ made but insists more work needed • US considers ‘Plan B’ with willing Nato countries over Hormuz • Iran rules out deal if US demands handover of enriched uranium • Qatar joins mediation push in coordination with US • UAE says Iran’s N-programme now top concern ISLAMABAD: Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir reached Tehran on Friday as efforts to broker an interim understanding between the United States and Iran entered a decisive phase amid cautious hopes that a fragile ceasefire around the Persian Gulf could be stabilised before tensions spiral again. The visit came at a time when negotiations appeared to have moved beyond political signalling into detailed bargaining over a narrow interim framework dealing with the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s nuclear...

Army Chief and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Field Marshal Asim Munir is set to visit Tehran on Thursday amid ongoing mediation efforts between Iran and the US, according to Iran’s semi-official ISNA news agency.

Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi arrived in Tehran on Saturday for an important visit taking place amid the deadlock in negotiations between the United States and Iran.