Donald Trump said he has instructed US envoys not to travel to Pakistan for further talks with Iran, shortly after Tehran’s top diplomat departed Islamabad on Saturday. Speaking to Fox News, Trump remarked that Iran could reach out whenever it wished, even as the White House had earlier indicated that Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would head to Pakistan’s capital to revive ceasefire negotiations. Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, left Pakistan after holding discussions with key leaders, including army chief Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. During the meetings, Araghchi outlined Iran’s non-negotiable positions and expressed willingness to continue engaging through Pakistan’s mediation efforts until progress is achieved, while maintaining that any discussions with the US would remain indirect.
Although an open-ended ceasefire has largely halted active combat, its economic impact continues to intensify. Global shipments of oil, liquefied natural gas, and other commodities have been disrupted due to tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial passage for global energy supplies. Iranian officials have also questioned the reliability of the US, citing the collapse of previous nuclear negotiations that preceded military action involving the US and Israel.
Pakistan has been actively working to bring both sides back to the negotiating table, especially after Trump announced an indefinite extension of the ceasefire in response to Islamabad’s diplomatic push. Earlier talks in Pakistan—reportedly led on the US side by JD Vance—lasted over 20 hours and marked the most direct engagement between the two nations since the Islamic Revolution. However, subsequent indirect discussions in Geneva failed to produce an agreement, and hostilities soon followed.
Oil prices have surged significantly amid the crisis, with Brent crude remaining far above pre-war levels due to Iran’s strategic position along the Strait of Hormuz. Tensions escalated further after Iran reportedly attacked multiple vessels, while the US enforced a blockade on Iranian ports and issued orders to target suspected mine-laying boats. In response to maritime threats, Germany’s defence minister, Boris Pistorius, announced plans to deploy minesweeping ships to the Mediterranean to help secure shipping routes once fighting subsides. The disruption has also affected broader global trade networks, extending as far as the Panama Canal.
Meanwhile, Iran has begun restoring some normalcy by resuming commercial flights from Tehran’s international airport for the first time since the conflict began. Flights have been scheduled to destinations including Istanbul, Muscat, and Medina, following a partial reopening of Iranian airspace earlier this month. The human cost of the conflict continues to rise. Thousands have been killed across Iran and Lebanon, where clashes between Israel and the Iran-backed group Hezbollah escalated shortly after the war began. Casualties have also been recorded in Israel, Gulf Arab states, and among military personnel and UN peacekeepers. Trump also announced that Israel and Lebanon agreed to extend their ceasefire with Hezbollah by three weeks, though the group itself has not been directly involved in the US-led diplomatic process.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/
