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
Tabriz International Airport in northwestern Iran is expected to reopen today, according to Iran’s IRIB broadcaster, which cited a spokesperson for the country’s Civil Aviation Organization, Al Jazeera reported.
The airport will join around 20 other terminals across the country that have already resumed operations following disruptions caused by the US-Israeli conflict, according to the agency.
Oil prices pulled back from recent highs, erasing some of the previous day’s 4 per cent gain as traders sought clarity on complex negotiations between Iran and the US after renewed hostilities set back efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, reports Reuters.
Brent crude futures fell $1.42, or 1.43pc, to $98.16 a barrel as of 0253 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude lost $1.66, or 1.77pc, to $92.23 a barrel.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, in a meeting with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, discussed regional developments, including Pakistan’s efforts for “peace and stability” in the Middle East.
In a post on X, the Foreign Office said that two leaders also discussed “a range of important issues, including UN Security Council reform, Jammu and Kashmir dispute, Afghanistan, and Palestine”.
“Secretary-General Guterres highly appreciated Pakistan’s active engagement and contributions to international peace and security, and UN’s broad agenda,” the FO added.
Ten Indian sailors, detained in Iran in July 2025 on an oil tanker, have been released after “sustained diplomatic engagement”, India’s shipping authorities have said, AFP reports.
The sailors on the MV Harbour Phoenix were “detained, arrested and imprisoned in Iran following the vessel’s interception near Jask Port in July 2025”, the Directorate General of Shipping said in a statement.
“The seafarers have now been released and reunited safely,” the shipping authority said.
“Necessary arrangements are being coordinated for the earliest return of the crew members to India.”
The United Arab Emirates has welcomed a statement from the UN Security Council expressing “grave concern” about a May 17 drone attack on its Barakah nuclear power plant, Al Jazeera reports.
“The Council has spoken in unity: there must be an immediate and permanent cessation of all attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure in the UAE, including attacks and threats of attack against peaceful nuclear facilities,” the UAE’s mission to the UN said in a post on X.
The mission also called for those responsible for “act of aggression – including those acting through proxy networks” to be held accountable.
Pro-Israel US Democratic Senator Cory Booker has said that President Trump’s approach to negotiations has significantly strengthened Tehran’s position, Al Jazeera reports.
In a US media interview, Booker said that the current strategy has completely backfired.
“That’s why this war is wrong. He’s got us in a situation that’s worse than it was before. A more extreme regime, Strait of Hormuz now is a leveraging point for them,” he said.
“This weak nation has put America in stalemate and Donald Trump is being played as fool what he is, for getting us into this in the first.”
Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani has spoken with UAE National Security Adviser Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah Al Saud by telephone, the Qatari foreign ministry has said in two separate statements, according to Al Jazeera.
During the calls, they reviewed bilateral relations and Pakistan’s mediation efforts between the US and Iran.
The Qatari official has expressed the importance of supporting the ongoing mediation efforts to reach a “lasting peace agreement” and stressed the need for all parties to respond positively to those efforts.
Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest defence firm, has reported higher quarterly profit boosted by strong global demand for military equipment, Al Jazeera reports.
Revenue has grown to a record $2.2 billion from $1.9bn, with a backlog of orders reaching $30.2bn. The increase in the quarter is mainly coming from Israel and Asia.
Elbit adds that it received a $1.4bn contract from an unnamed European customer for “extensive military modernisation programmes” that will be performed over five years.
The Israeli company says it earned $3.87 per diluted share in the first quarter, excluding one-time items, up from $2.57 a year earlier and well above expectations.
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi has expressed hope that parties in the Iran conflict can stay committed to pursuing a ceasefire and continue to meet each other halfway, Reuters reports.
Wang spoke to reporters at the United Nations in New York after chairing a meeting of the 15-member Security Council, because China holds the council’s presidency in May.
The Israeli army has issued a forced evacuation order for residents of eight towns and villages in southern Lebanon, Al Jazeera reports.
Military spokesperson Avichay Adraee has urged in a post on X people from Khirbet Selm, Bir al-Sanasil, Qabrikha, Majdal Selm, Qalawiya, Kfar Dunin, Touline and Sawana to “immediately” abandon their homes due to what he says were Hezbollah violations of a ceasefire agreed last month and which was recently extended.
The Lebanese armed group has issued several statements claiming to have hit Israeli army positions in southern Lebanon, where troops are stationed as part of a ground invasion, Al Jazeera reports.
Hezbollah claims it targeted Israeli troops stationed in Shamaa, in southern Lebanon, and hit the Branit barracks with two drones. Separately, it has reportedly targeted an Israeli military vehicle in the city of Bint Jbeil with a drone.
It further claims to have shot down Israeli drones over the towns of Srifa and Deir Kifa in southern Lebanon.
US Central Command (Centcom) has dismissed reports that Washington has resumed Project Freedom, its initiative to escort commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, which was paused earlier this month.
“Recent media reporting claims that the US Navy has restarted escorting or assisting commercial vessels during transits through the Strait of Hormuz [is] false,” Centcom says in a post on X.
“Project Freedom has not resumed, and US forces are not currently escorting commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz,” Centcom adds.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have exchanged Eidul Azha greetings in a telephone call, with the two leaders discussing the situation in the Middle East.
“The prime minister thanked President Erdogan for Turkiye’s strong and consistent support for the Pakistan-led peace initiative. The two leaders also agreed to continue working closely to promote peace in the region through dialogue, stability, and de-escalation,” a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office says.
The Israeli prime minister has offered brief remarks ahead of a security cabinet meeting, according to Al Jazeera.
With a large military deployment already on the ground in Lebanon, Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel is “fortifying” its so-called “security zone” on Lebanese territory.
“Under my direction and that of the minister of defence, together with the [army] chief of staff, we are deepening our operation in Lebanon,” he says.
Oil prices have rebounded to $100, while stock markets were mixed and the dollar firmed after US military strikes on Iran deflated hopes of an imminent deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, AFP reports.
Brent North Sea crude, the international benchmark, has jumped almost 4.5 per cent to edge back above $100 a barrel.
Oil price increases had been modest beforehand, “underlining the market’s strong belief that the Strait of Hormuz will reopen”, says Arne Lohmann Rasmussen, a commodities analyst at Global Risk Management.
Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, has discussed the US-Iran war in a phone call with Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, Al Jazeera reports citing a statement from Doha.
The two officials have discussed Pakistan’s mediation efforts and how their countries can “support and enhance them”, the statement reads.
They stress the necessity to “address the roots of the crisis through peaceful means and dialogue, leading to a sustainable agreement that prevents the renewal of escalation,” it adds.
As US kamikaze drones guided by Elon Musk’s Starlink network began to make visible gains in the war against Iran, senior SpaceX officials raised the price for the Pentagon to access their satellite Wi-Fi network, according to Reuters.
Within weeks of the United States launching its bombing campaign, SpaceX executives met Pentagon officials and argued the military had been paying about $5,000 for a connection per terminal while effectively using a higher tier of service worth closer to $25,000, according to two sources familiar with the matter and Pentagon documents reviewed by Reuters.
The disagreement over Starlink’s use on LUCAS kamikaze drones is part of increasing tensions between SpaceX and the Pentagon over Starlink pricing in recent months, according to interviews with five people familiar with the matter and the documents.
The Pentagon, which is seeking to help Iranian citizens bypass government-imposed communications blackouts, has also been at odds with SpaceX over pricing for a plan to provide the populace direct-to-cell connections with Starlink akin to 5G service, two of the sources say.
The ongoing disputes, which have not previously been reported, underscore how the Pentagon’s growing reliance on SpaceX is handing Musk greater leverage over a critical layer of US national security at a time when SpaceX is seeking to boost revenue ahead of an IPO next month that could be among the biggest in history.
A person takes photos of a trail as the Falcon 9 carrying Starlink satellites streaks across the sky in the latest SpaceX launch as viewed from Venice Beach in Los Angeles, California, the US on April 6, 2026. — Reuters/File
An Israeli air raid has hit the town of Mashghara, in Lebanon’s eastern Beqaa region, after the military issued a forced evacuation order for Mashghara and Sahma, Al Jazeera reports, citing the National News Agency.
The state-run news agency also says three Israeli air strikes targeted the vicinity of the Qaraoun Dam, Lebanon’s largest dam, in the Beqaa Valley.
In the Tyre district of southern Lebanon, Civil Defence personnel have recovered the bodies of four women from under the rubble of a home in the town of Maraka.
Mohammad Reza Aref, Iran’s Vice President, has confirmed the country took the “first step” towards restoring full internet access, ending what a monitoring group said was one of the longest shutdowns in modern history, Al Jazeera reports.
“In line with the government’s promise, the first step towards free and regulated access to cyberspace has been taken,” Aref says on X.
