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US strikes Iran, Tehran says Strait of Hormuz closed, Gulf states hit

Abbas Araqchi has accused the United States of violating the ceasefire agreement. “There can only be mutual compliance,” he wrote on X on Friday.

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The US military launched fresh strikes on Iran after it 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, Reuters reported.

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 fighting 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 traveling on an unapproved route. It warned that any retaliation over the incident would be met with a “severe response.”

US Central Command, however, said commercial ​vessels continue to transit through the waterway that carried one-fifth of the world’s oil and LNG shipments before the war.

Central Command said US forces hit 140 Iranian military targets on Saturday, out of more than 300 during three nights of strikes “to degrade Iran’s ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial vessels ​freely transiting the strait.”

Iranian state media reported explosions in a number of port cities.

In response, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Sunday they had destroyed a command and control center and drone hangars at ​a base in US ally Jordan, targeted a US military radar site in Kuwait, attacked US aircraft carrier support and refueling platforms in Oman and destroyed a fighter jet maintenance centre and command and control facility in Qatar.

The Guards also said they had struck and disabled a second vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, read the report.

The United Arab Emirates said its air defense systems engaged missiles and drones from Iran, while warning sirens sounded in Bahrain and ​explosions were heard in Doha.

Tehran’s strikes marked a sharp escalation in pace and targets. In recent weeks, Iran had hit sites in Kuwait and Bahrain while avoiding Qatar since early April and ​the UAE since early May.

The war has destabilized the Gulf, while Iran’s effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has caused energy prices to surge, fuelling global inflation and raising fears of an economic slowdown.

Higher prices, ‌especially for ⁠gasoline, are a politically sensitive issue for Trump ahead of November congressional elections.

Iran said several ships attempted to move through the waterway on an “unauthorized route” and disregarded warnings to correct their course. The strait will remain closed until “the end of US interference in this region,” the Revolutionary Guards said.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has accused the United States of violating the ceasefire agreement. “There can only be mutual compliance,” he wrote on X on Friday.

On Sunday, Iran’s top negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf posted on X: “The era of one-sided deals is OVER. We told ​you: keep your word or pay the price. ​Reality is knocking.”

The US revoked the license authorizing ⁠the sale of Iranian crude on Tuesday after three Qatari and Saudi commercial tankers came under fire earlier in the week, prompting the US to hit Iranian sites. Iran then struck US military sites in Gulf states, Reuters reported.

While Iran has not claimed responsibility for the ship attacks, analysts say Tehran uses ​such actions to gain leverage in negotiations.

Araqchi and Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi met in Oman to exchange “views on appropriate mechanisms for the ​safe passage of ships through ⁠the Strait of Hormuz,” according to a statement from the Iranian foreign minister. Oman’s state news agency said Omani and Iranian negotiators would continue talks “at the technical and political levels.”

A written statement from Iran’s new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, on Saturday threatened vengeance for the death of his predecessor and father, who was killed in the war’s initial attacks. It said the vengeance would take place whatever happened to ⁠Iran.

“We pledge to ​avenge the blood of the martyred leader and all the martyrs,” the message said.

The statement was released to mark ​funeral ceremonies for the former leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Thursday. His son did not attend the ceremonies and has not been seen in public since the war began.

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At least 15 infants killed in Islamabad hospital fire

WATCH VIDEO: There ​were ⁠16 newborns at the hospital’s gynaecology ward ​when the fire ​broke ⁠out, one of whom was rescued.

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At least 15 infants were killed when a fire broke ​out at a state-run ​hospital in Pakistan’s capital city ⁠Islamabad, triggered by a ​fault in air conditioning ​systems, local broadcaster Geo TV reported on Wednesday.

The fire, which ​broke out at ​the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) ‌hospital, ⁠started around two hours ago, the broadcaster said, adding that “cooling operations” were ongoing, Reuters reported.

​There ​were ⁠16 newborns at the hospital’s gynaecology ward ​when the fire ​broke ⁠out, one of whom was rescued, according to Geo.

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Pakistan and Iran make significant progress in talks on Iran conflict

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Pakistan and Iran have made “significant progress” in talks focused on the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and efforts to find a path toward peace, Pakistan’s interior minister said on Tuesday after a visit to Tehran.

The discussions focused on measures to prevent further escalation, reopening the Strait of Hormuz and accelerating an end to the conflict, according to a statement from the Pakistani military following a meeting between army chief General Asim Munir and Iranian leaders.

The two sides also discussed regional peace and possible ways to reach a negotiated settlement to the conflict, the statement said.

“Iranian President candidly shared his government’s perspective and we had a very constructive exchange on the issues involved,” Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who accompanied Munir, said in a post on X.

Munir spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump before travelling to Tehran, Reuters reported on Monday.

Trump last week warned of economic consequences for countries providing “any type of lifeline to Iran” as Washington seeks to isolate Tehran. Iran, meanwhile, has threatened to halt all oil exports from the Gulf.

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Pakistan’s Munir spoke to Trump ahead of Tehran visit, sources say

The White House Office of the Press Secretary did ​not immediately respond to a request for comment. It was unclear what Munir and Trump discussed in detail.

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US President Donald Trump spoke with Pakistan’s army ​chief Asim Munir last week ahead of Munir’s trip to Tehran on ‌Monday, according to three Pakistani sources, with one saying the main US request was to use Pakistan’s influence to bring Iran back to negotiations, Reuters reported.

Trump last week warned of economic consequences against any country that ​provided “any type of lifeline to Iran” as he seeks to isolate the Islamic ​Republic. Iran has in turn vowed to shut down all oil exports ⁠from the Gulf.

Last week’s call, which has not been previously reported, was initiated ​by Trump, according to two Pakistani sources.

The White House Office of the Press Secretary did ​not immediately respond to a request for comment. It was unclear what Munir and Trump discussed in detail.

Munir arrived in Tehran on Monday accompanied by Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Pakistan’s military confirmed, saying ​it was “part of Pakistan’s efforts to promote regional peace and stability.”

Pakistan, which has played ​a key mediating role between the US and Iran this year, has remained a trading partner of ‌Iran ⁠throughout the recent fighting.

Munir was expected to meet with people close to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei on Monday, one Pakistani source said.

Another Pakistani government source said while US-Iran tensions were a focus of the visit, Munir was also expected to discuss ​recent attacks by Iran-aligned ​Houthi fighters on Pakistan’s ⁠ally Saudi Arabia as well as the recently signed mutual defence agreement between Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

Pakistan’s earlier mediation efforts ​between the U.S. and Iran resulted in an interim peace agreement ​signed in ⁠June. But the Islamabad Memorandum quickly faltered, amid new fighting between Iran and the US that has threatened to spiral into a wider regional conflict in recent weeks.

“There is a trust ⁠deficit ​on both sides,” a third Pakistani source said about ​the US and Iran, adding that Munir’s aim was to mitigate the lack of mutual trust on Monday.

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