The US and Israel on Feb 28 launched what they described as a “pre-emptive” joint strike against Iranian targets, with Trump announcing start of “major combat operations”
Pakistan hosted the first round of face-to-face talks between the US and Iran in 47 years in April; the talks ended without a breakthrough, but also without a breakdown
US allies in Gulf reportdrone attacks as IRGC warns against attacks on Iranian ships
Trump rejects Iran’s response to latest US proposal that would stop the fighting but leave the most contentious issues unresolved for now
Israeli forces demolished a number of houses in the Ain al-Saghira neighbourhood of Bint Jbeil, southern Lebanon, Al Jazeera reports citing National News Agency (NNA).
Earlier, warplanes carried out two air raids on the town of Srifa, and heavy drone activity was also reported over the Litani River.
Smoke rises after an Israeli air strike in southern Lebanon’s coastal city of Tyre.—AFP/File
The US dollar has strengthened broadly as talks to end the war in the Middle East showed no signs of progress, pushing oil prices higher and worrying investors that interest rates may need to stay higher to tackle inflationary pressures, according to Reuters.
Investors now fear that the ceasefire that has been in place since April 7 can be in danger and hostilities can resume in the conflict.
The euro weakened 0.24 per cent to $1.1754, while sterling last bought $1.3575, down 0.26 per cent. The dollar index, which measures the US currency against six others, is at 98.17, up 0.2pc.
Tens of millions of people could face hunger and starvation if fertilisers are not allowed through the Strait of Hormuz soon, the head of a UN task force aimed at averting a looming humanitarian crisis has told the AFP news agency.
About a third of the world’s fertiliser normally passes through the waterway in the Gulf.
“We have a few weeks ahead of us to prevent what will likely be a massive humanitarian crisis,” Jorge Moreira da Silva, the executive director of the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and leader of the task force, told AFP in an interview.
South Korea will participate in a multinational defence ministerial meeting on the Strait of Hormuz, Yonhap News Agency reports, citing officials.
Army Major General Woo Kyung-suk will attend the virtual meeting, co-chaired by Britain and France, the report states, quoting the defence ministry officials.
Only a handful of vessels can be seen crossing the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Oman on April 27, 2026.—Reuters
The Foreign Office (FO) has termed a report by an American media outlet claiming that Islamabad had allowed Iranian military aircraft to park on its airfields while playing the role of a mediator in the Middle East conflict as “misleading and sensationalised”.
Citing US officials, CBS News has reported that Pakistan “quietly allowed Iranian military aircraft to park on its airfields”. The report alleged that days after US President Trump announced the ceasefire with Iran in early April, Tehran sent multiple aircraft to the Nur Khan Air Base.
“Among the military hardware was an Iranian Air Force RC-130, a reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering variant of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules tactical transport aircraft,” the report claimed.
Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with Iran’s handling of negotiations to end the war, with some aides saying he is now more open to resuming major combat operations, CNN reports.
Inside the administration, officials are divided on next steps. Some Pentagon officials favor stronger military pressure, including targeted strikes, while others still want to pursue diplomacy.
Trump allies also want Pakistani mediators to take a tougher approach with Iran, with some US officials believing Pakistan has softened Tehran’s position in communications with Washington.
The United Arab Emirates carried out attacks on Iran early last month, sources told the Wall Street Journal, revealing previously unknown participation in the war by the Gulf country, according to AFP.
The American newspaper said the UAE’s attacks targeted a refinery located on Iran’s Lavan Island and took place “around the time” US President Donald Trump was “announcing a ceasefire in the war” after a five-week air strike campaign.
The US has quietly welcomed the Emirati strikes and any other Gulf states who want to join the fight, the paper reported, citing one unnamed source.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has held separate calls with his Australian and British counterparts to discuss Iran and the Strait of Hormuz, the State Department said, Reuters reports.
Rubio discussed “Iran and ongoing efforts to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz,” the State Department said in separate statements after his calls with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper.
The Indian rupee is set to weaken at today’s open, with a possible slide to a lifetime low against the US dollar, on concerns that the fragile US-Iran ceasefire may be fraying, keeping oil prices high and the currency under pressure, Reuters reports.
The rupee is expected to open at 95.4595.55, traders have said, after sliding 0.88 per cent to 95.31 in the previous session. At those levels, the currency will surpass the all-time low of 95.4325 hit last week.
The Israeli military has ordered residents of the Lebanese town of Sohmor to flee their homes or remain and expose “their life to danger”, Al Jazeera reports.
The Israeli military said the order was an “urgent warning to residents” who must leave the town, located in the Bekaa Valley, and move to “a distance of no less than 1,000 metres (0.6 miles) to open areas”.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong has announced news sanctions on seven Iranian individuals and four entities, due to Tehran’s “ongoing brutal oppression of its people and destabilisation of the region”, Al Jazeera reports.
Wong said in a statement that the Iranian “regime massacred thousands of its own citizens and carried out mass arrests of peaceful protesters”.
“The seven individuals and four entities sanctioned include senior officials and entities involved in these horrific acts, including violence against women and children,” she said.
The US government has announced sanctions against three people and nine companies, including four based in Hong Kong and four in the United Arab Emirates, for aiding Iran’s shipment of oil to China, Reuters reports. The ninth company is based in Oman.
Treasury said the new designations by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) were aimed at individuals and entities that helped Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps sell and ship its allotment of Iranian oil to China using a series of front companies.
The oil giant Aramco’s Chief Executive Officer Amin Nasser says it will take months for the market to rebalance if the Strait of Hormuz opens today, AFP reports.
“If the Strait of Hormuz opens today, it will still take months for the market to rebalance,” he told investors in an event, adding that if its opening is delayed by a few more weeks, then normalisation will last into 2027.
Hezbollah’s Secretary General Naim Qassem has warned the Lebanese government against pinning hopes on the “illusion” of direct talks with Israel, Iran’s Press TV reports.
“We call on the Lebanese government not to repeat past mistakes, or pin hopes on the illusion of direct talks with the Israeli regime.”
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian expresses gratitude to Iraq’s top Shia religious authority, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, for supporting Iran during the recent aggression.
In a social media post on X, Pezeshkian said, “I extend the highest expressions of gratitude for the generous support extended by Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani toward the Islamic Republic of Iran and those affected by the recent aggression, while appreciating the solidarity of the brotherly Iraqi people.
“The religious authority has always remained an impregnable fortress and a steadfast pillar for the oppressed,” he said.
An Israeli drone fired a guided missile at a car in the town of Doueir this afternoon, which killed two people, Al Jazeera reports, citing Lebanon’s National News Agency.
The strike targeted a vehicle on the road, adding to a series of attacks across southern Lebanon, which earlier killed at least one person at a health centre
President Donald Trump has said the US-Iran ceasefire is on “massive life support” as the two sides failed to agree on terms to start talks on ending their war, AFP reports
“The ceasefire is on massive life support, where the doctor walks in and says, ‘Sir, your loved one has approximately a one per cent chance of living,’” he told reporters during an event at the White House.
US President Donald Trump has again slammed Iran’s peace proposal, calling it “stupid”, while suggesting Iran’s military power was significantly depleted.
During a maternal healthcare event at the White House, in comments broadcast by Fox News, the president said of the Iranian proposal, “It’s a stupid proposal and nobody would take it — although Obama would have taken it, Biden would have taken it. What they took was far worse.”
“They had 159 ships, and right now they have zero, other than the little speedboats they go around that got taken out eight a day by us,” he added, adding that Iran also had “no air force”.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has highlighted Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts for regional peace and stability in a meeting with the UN chief’s envoy, the Foreign Office says.
In a statement, the FO said, “Jean Arnault, UN chief’s personal envoy for the Middle East conflict, called on FM Dar today”
“Arnault conveyed the UN secretary general’s deep appreciation for Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts for regional peace and stability, and expressed UN’s continued support in that regard,” the FO stated.
FM Dar discussed latest regional developments with Arnault and highlighted “Pakistan’s ongoing efforts and continued engagement with the parties,” it added.
“He also conveyed his deep gratitude to the UN’s secretary general for his invaluable contributions and consistent support for Pakistan over the years,” the FO said.
The EU’s foreign policy chief says the bloc will boost ties to the GCC countries of Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the UAE amid the war, Al Jazeera reports.
“We will accelerate our work regarding the strategic partnership agreements with all six Gulf countries … and we are ready to frontload our security and defence cooperation,” Kallas told reporters.
She said the ceasefire is “under heavy strain” in the Strait of Hormuz amid Iranian firings on countries in the region.
Iran’s “grip on the world’s most important energy shipping line is untenable”, said Kallas, adding that the EU “is expanding its Iran sanctions tools to include those responsible for obstructing freedom of navigation”.
