Regional
At least 21 killed, over 50 injured in Pakistan railway station bomb blast
At least 21 people were killed and more than 50 injured in a bomb blast at a railway station in Quetta in southwestern Pakistan on Saturday, local media reported.
The blast occurred on the platform as passengers gathered for the departure of the Jaffar Express, scheduled to depart for Peshawar at 9am, Express News reported.
“The blast took place inside the railway station when the Peshawar-bound express was about to leave for its destination,” said the senior superintendent of police operations, Muhammad Baloch, Reuters reported.
Among the victims are women and children, according to the Medical Superintendent at Civil Hospital, who reported that 46 of the wounded were brought to the hospital for urgent treatment.
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti condemned the attack, ordering an immediate investigation and labeling the incident as “a horrific act targeting innocent civilians.”
No group has claimed responsibility for the blast.
Regional
Pakistan army chief heads to Tehran amid US-Iran mediation efforts
Pakistan’s Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, departed for Tehran on Friday for talks with senior Iranian officials, according to a diplomatic source cited by Islamic Republic News Agency.
The source in Islamabad said the visit comes amid ongoing Pakistani efforts to help ease tensions between the United States and Iran.
No details were provided regarding the duration or agenda of the trip.
This marks Munir’s second reported visit to Tehran as part of Islamabad’s mediation initiatives.
Regional
British woman detained in Iran resumes hunger strike alongside husband
The pair had previously spoken to media outlets from prison, describing harsh prison conditions and fears over their future.
A British woman imprisoned in Iran has resumed a hunger strike alongside her husband as the couple continue protesting their detention and prison conditions after more than 16 months in custody.
Craig and Lindsay Foreman, a couple from East Sussex, were arrested in January 2025 while travelling through Iran during a round-the-world motorcycle trip. Iranian authorities later sentenced them to 10 years in prison on espionage charges, which they strongly deny.
According to reports, Craig Foreman began refusing food on May 9 after prison authorities at Tehran’s Evin prison cut off the couple’s access to phone calls following media interviews they gave from custody. Lindsay Foreman is believed to have joined the hunger strike on Tuesday.
Family members say the restrictions on communication with the outside world have increased psychological pressure on the couple during their detention.
The pair had previously spoken to media outlets from prison, describing harsh prison conditions and fears over their future.
In one interview, Lindsay Foreman said she had come to terms with the possibility of dying in prison amid growing regional tensions and uncertainty surrounding their case.
She also described life inside Evin prison during periods of heightened military tensions, saying inmates hid under beds as explosions were heard across Tehran.
Craig Foreman appealed directly to the British government for assistance, saying he could not understand why they had remained imprisoned for more than a year.
He also described being held in a small prison cell under difficult conditions, saying the experience had left him emotionally and physically exhausted.
The British government continues to advise against all travel to Iran, warning citizens of a significant risk of arrest, questioning or detention.
Earlier this year, the UK temporarily withdrew some diplomatic staff from Iran amid concerns over possible military escalation involving the United States and Israel.
Regional
Revised Iranian proposal to end war shared with US, Pakistani source says
Tehran also wants compensation for war damage, an end to the U.S. naval blockade, a guarantee of no further attacks, and resumption of Iranian oil sales.
Pakistan has shared with the U.S. a revised proposal from Iran to end the conflict in the Middle East, a Pakistani source told Reuters on Monday, as peace talks appeared to remain stalled, Reuters reported.
“We don’t have much time,” the source said, when asked if it would take time to close gaps, adding that both countries “keep changing their goalposts”.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei confirmed that Tehran’s views had been “conveyed to the American side through mediator Pakistan”.
U.S. President Donald Trump said last week that a ceasefire with Iran, which was reached in early April, was “on life support” after Tehran’s response to a U.S. proposal to end the war made clear the two sides were still far apart on a number of issues.
The issues holding up negotiations between the two sides include Iran’s nuclear ambitions and its control of the Strait of Hormuz, where it has shut down shipping traffic that normally carries one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas.
Iran has called for an end to the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, where U.S. ally Israel is fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah militants. Tehran has ruled out discussing its nuclear programme before the “permanent end of hostilities”.
Tehran also wants compensation for war damage, an end to the U.S. naval blockade, a guarantee of no further attacks, and resumption of Iranian oil sales.
Baghaei said Tehran was prepared for all scenarios.
“As for their threats, rest assured that we are fully aware of how to respond appropriately to even the smallest mistake from the opposing side,” Baghaei told a televised weekly press conference.
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