War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

Pope Leo XIV has labelled “outdated” the concept of a “just war” put forward by US President Donald Trump’s administration, warning that “humanity is slipping into a violent culture of power”, reports AFP.

“Today, more than ever, without prejudice to the right to self-defence in the strictest sense, it is important to reaffirm that the ‘just war’ theory, which has all too often been used to justify any kind of war, is now outdated,” he wrote in an encyclical, “Magnifica Humanitas” (Magnificent Humanity).

Iran’s internet blackout has entered its 87th week after passing 2,064 hours, according to NetBlocks.

Esmaeil Baqaei further expressed Tehran’s intention to continue its drone and missile programmes, contrary to earlier demands made by Washington.

“We will definitely spend part of our money on the development of Iran’s drone and missile programme, and we will not ask permission from anyone for that,” state broadcaster IRIB quoted Baqaei as saying.

“If we didn’t do this, the bullies of the world, including America, would dominate us,” he stressed.

China urged the US and Iran to continue the “momentum of de-escalation” as potential signs emerged that the war between the two sides could wind down following recent diplomatic contacts, Anadolu reports.

“China’s position on the Iranian situation is very clear. This is a conflict that should never have happened and there is no need for it to continue,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters in Beijing.

“An earlier solution serves the interests of both the US and Iran, as well as regional countries and the world at large,” she said.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei has raised concerns over “contradictory views” that he said were emerging from within the American leadership.

“US politics is suffering from indecision. Facing contradictory views from US officials within just a few hours makes the process of any dialogue difficult,” IRIB quoted Baqaei as saying.

His remarks come after Trump last night said a deal with Iran was not “fully negotiated yet”, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio hinted that it could materialise “maybe today”.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei has said China is playing an “effective role” in the negotiations to stop the US-Iran war, Tasnim reports.

“China has a very good relationship with us and we have a strategic partnership and it has played a constructive role in all processes,” Baqaei was quoted as saying.

He noted that both China and Russia played a positive role at the UN Security Council.

Iran’s foreign ministry said that Tehran was collecting fees for “navigational services” on ships transiting the strategic Strait of Hormuz, rather than imposing tolls, AFP reports.

“The services that are provided — navigational services in addition to the measures necessary to protect the environment of the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman — require the collection of certain fees,” said foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei in a weekly press briefing.

He added that Iran was “not seeking to collect tolls”.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will miss United Nations Security Council meeting due to US visa issue, according to foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei, Al Jazeera reports.

The meeting is supposed to be held in New York.

Speaking further, the Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson noted that there are “no guarantees” that the US will honour its commitments to a potential deal and said that Tehran does not care about “threats”, Al Jazeera notes.

“The changes in recent weeks have been caused by mediation from Pakistan and other countries,” he was quoted as saying, adding that the talks included a clause to end the ongoing conflict in Lebanon.

Baqaei further said it was “ridiculous” for the “aggressors” to speak about the welfare of Iranians, and that vital infrastructure, including steel and pharmaceutical plants, has been targeted by US-Israeli strikes.

Speaking about the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s Esmail Baqaei has said that while Tehran will not take any tolls, it is “normal that services that will be provided would require a price”, Al Jazeera reports.

The spokesperson explained that management of the waterway belonged to coastal countries.

“We are in contact with the countries bordering the Strait of Hormuz to provide security there and to protect their interests,” he said.

European shares opened at their highest levels in more than two months, buoyed by signs that Iran and the US are negotiating an end to their conflict, easing concerns about inflation and a global economic slowdown, according to Reuters.

The pan-European STOXX 600 up 0.61 per cent at 628.93 points, as of 0712 GMT, trading just shy of a record high touched in late February, just before the Middle East war erupted.

Most sectors traded higher, led by banks with a 1.7pc jump, while regional airlines such as Lufthansa and Air France KLM gained 4.2pc and 9pc, respectively, as Brent crude prices slid 5pc to $98 a barrel.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei has said that currently Iran does not have a plan to send a delegation to Pakistan, Reuters reports.

He has made these remarks during a press briefing.

Iran will discuss its nuclear programme and its highly enriched uranium with the US, if Washington fulfils its commitments in a potential memorandum of understanding being negotiated, a senior Iranian diplomat tells ISNA news agency, according to Reuters.

These issues will be discussed in 60-day negotiations in exchange for the lifting of sanctions and release of Iranian foreign assets, Hossein Nooshabadi said, according to the agency.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baqaei, said “we have reached a conclusion on a large portion of the discussion topics this is correct but this does not mean that the signing of an agreement is imminent,” Al jazeera reports.

The focus of the negotiations is on ending the war, and at this stage we are not discussing the details of the nuclear issue, he said.

Iran’s top negotiator in talks with the US, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, has been re-elected as the country’s parliamentary speaker, AFP reports, citing Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency.

Iranian lawmaker Ebrahim Rezaei, a spokesperson for the parliament’s powerful foreign policy and national security committee, has put out a defiant statement amid efforts to reach a deal.

“During the military war, our tactic was an eye for an eye; in the diplomatic war, it is action against action,” Rezaei wrote on X

“Do not believe the bluff of the failed president; time is against the Americans. If they want an agreement, they should negotiate; if they want $6 gas, they should stand firm and bluff until the grass grows under their feet. Iran does not bow to force or threats.”

PM Shehbaz has also hailed Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir for his role in the mediation process.

Noting that CDF Munir had just returned from Tehran, PM Shehbaz said that the army chief “played a very important role back and forth with the Iranian leadership and the American leadership, along with Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar”.

“He didn’t want to miss this great visit, and he assured me that he will be joining me in this meeting, and he has been travelling throughout the night,” the premier said.

Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to conserve foreign exchange is “very important” as the Iran crisis could mean higher fuel costs and delayed cargo for businesses and the public, Reuters reports.

High prices of crude, fertilisers and gold are creating some challenges on the external front, Sitharaman added, while speaking at an event in Mumbai.

Over 1.5 million Muslims begin filling a vast tent city in Makkah for the annual Haj pilgrimage carried out against the backdrop of hopes for an end to the war in the Middle East, AFP reports.

This year’s rites, drawing Muslim worshippers from across the world, including Iran, followed by waves of attacks on targets in Saudi Arabia and its Gulf neighbours.

Saudi officials have been keen to keep conflict far from the minds of visitors, many of whom have travelled long distances for one of the world’s largest annual pilgrimages.

Despite the uncertainty triggered by the conflict, Saudi officials noted over the weekend that more pilgrims had travelled from abroad to participate in this year’s Haj than in 2025.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed optimism that “things were moving in the right direction” on ending the US-Iran war.

Speaking at China’s Great Hall of the People, the premier noted that the Gulf region was in crisis due to the war and that Pakistan had played a “sincere role to mediate between the US and Iran”. He lauded the role of the Chief of Defence Forces and the Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, who he said remained in touch with leadership from both sides.

“We hope and pray that peace will be restored, and lots of ground has already been covered; things are moving in the right direction,” PM Shehbaz said, thanking the Chinese leadership for their support to Pakistan’s mediation efforts.

“I think we have to really be together, so that the world at large is at peace and business as usual starts again, because this crisis has hit not only the economy in the region […] but the global community,” the premier asserted.

Israeli drones are hovering over the Lebanese capital of Beirut for the second consecutive day, Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr reports.

“Non-stop buzzing of Israeli drones over central #Beirut and the capital’s southern suburbs … flying at low altitude,” she wrote in a post on X.

The Israeli army has threatened the residents of 10 villages in southern Lebanon’s Nabatieh and Jezzine areas to leave their homes before imminent strikes, Al Jazeera reports.

The military’s Arabic language spokesperson Avichay Adraee wrote in a post on X that the threat applied to residents of Al-Nabatieh Al-Tahta, Al-Louizeh, Sajd, Ain Qana, Harouf, Zibdin, Kfar Reman, Al-Duwayr, Adshit Al-Shaqif, and Maydun.

Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi has termed his discussions with Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi yesterday as “good”, saying they reflected the “constructive nature of Oman-Iran dialogue”.

“We reaffirmed the importance of diplomatic engagement on all fronts,” the minister wrote on X.

“Oman will continue supporting efforts to reduce tension, advance peaceful regional coexistence, security and freedom of navigation,” he added.