Pakistan said efforts to de-escalate the conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz remain underway despite new U.S. strikes on Iran and additional Iranian attacks across the Middle East.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Pakistan said Thursday that negotiations between the United States and Iran remain active even as both sides resumed direct attacks and the conflict expanded across several Middle Eastern countries.
Washington announced that it had completed a “heavy wave of strikes” against Iran in response to renewed Iranian attacks targeting Jordan. The U.S. military said dozens of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps sites were hit, including military command centers.
The strikes followed a brief pause in the fighting intended to create space for diplomacy.
“Negotiations between parties are ongoing, particularly on (the) Strait of Hormuz and to de-escalate,” Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi told reporters.
Pakistan helped broker an agreement establishing the basis for negotiations toward a permanent settlement. Andrabi said Islamabad was doing its “utmost to bring all parties back” to technical discussions under that framework.
Earlier negotiations launched after an April truce stalled, and the ceasefire collapsed this month. Iran subsequently closed the Strait of Hormuz again, restricting passage through one of the world’s most important routes for oil and natural gas shipments.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Thursday that two oil tankers attempting to pass through the strait with U.S. support turned back after one caught fire.
Saudi Arabia separately announced the creation of a 14-nation regional maritime defense alliance intended to protect shipping near the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
The initiative followed a declaration by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement that it was imposing a maritime embargo on Saudi Arabia. The Houthis also claimed responsibility for attacks against Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea.
The Bab al-Mandab Strait has become increasingly important for Saudi oil shipments after the confrontation in the Strait of Hormuz disrupted other export routes.
The latest violence has spread across much of the region. Saudi Arabia joined the United States in striking militant groups in Iraq, while Egypt sustained its first attack of the conflict when a drone struck a Mediterranean gas import facility.
Jordan said it intercepted Iranian missiles for the second consecutive day Thursday. The Jordanian military reported shooting down five missiles without casualties.
The Revolutionary Guards confirmed the attack and accused the United States of using Jordanian bases to carry out a strike that killed residents on Iran’s Qeshm Island.
President Donald Trump had pledged to strike Iran “hard” after Tehran’s earlier attack on Jordan, its first assault in the region in several days.
Iranian officials said three Revolutionary Guard members were killed in a U.S. strike in the northwestern province of Zanjan.
Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency also reported attacks on cities across the southwestern province of Khuzestan and on Qeshm Island in the Persian Gulf. Provincial officials said areas near Abadan, Shadegan, Arvandkenar and Ahvaz were struck.
Kuwait’s Defense Ministry said an Iranian attack hit a building belonging to a Chinese company in the country’s north, killing one worker and causing extensive damage.
The ministry denounced what it called a “heinous” attack.
Egypt, which had previously avoided a direct strike despite repeated attacks on regional energy infrastructure, confirmed Thursday that a drone caused a fire at a gas import hub the previous day. Two ships were damaged, though authorities said no group had claimed responsibility.
Yemen’s Houthi movement denied involvement, according to rebel-controlled media.
Egypt’s government said an investigation was underway “to determine the circumstances of the incident and to take the necessary measures to preserve Egypt’s interests and national security.”
During a telephone call with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi emphasized the need for “the international community to work together to halt this escalation,” according to his spokesman.
Maritime tracking company Kpler identified the damaged vessels as the Energos Winter storage and regasification ship and the GasLog Salem tanker. Both were moved offshore after the attack.
British maritime security firm Ambrey said the U.S.-owned and operated floating storage vessel had been struck by at least one drone.
The port authority said operations continued without interruption.
The broader Middle East war began in February with U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran and has since affected every country in the region, along with some nations beyond it. Despite the widening hostilities, Pakistan maintained that diplomatic efforts were continuing to reduce tensions and restore negotiations.
Original article
Comments