The Saudi finance minister was in Islamabad on Saturday in a show of "economic support", a source familiar with the matter told AFP, days after Pakistan said it would return billions in loans to Riyadh's ally-turned-rival the UAE.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met US Vice President JD Vance in Islamabad on Saturday, the former's office said, adding that peace talks to end the Middle East war had "commenced".
US Vice President JD Vance landed at an airbase near Pakistan's capital on Saturday ahead of negotiations with Iran aimed at ending the war in the Middle East.
The Pakistan Navy rescued 18 crew members, including foreign nationals, of a merchant vessel in the North Arabian Sea after receiving a distress call, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Friday.
A delegation of top Iranian officials has arrived in Islamabad ahead of ceasefire talks with the United States in the Pakistani capital, Iranian state television reported Friday.
The long-term fallout of the war in Iran is only beginning to take shape, but this much is clear: The conflict has left the Middle East unsettled, alliances strained and the world facing uncertain shifts in the balance of economic and military power.
Saudi Arabia said on Thursday that the attacks carried out in recent weeks by Iran against the kingdom's energy infrastructure killed one person and impacted its oil production capacity.
Pakistan is due to host talks between Iran and the United States in a bid to turn a fragile two-week ceasefire into a lasting end to a war that has roiled global energy markets.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday pledged to advance peace efforts during a phone call with his Lebanese counterpart Nawaf Salam as Israel continued its relentless attacks on the country.
“Israel is evil and a curse for humanity, while peace talks are underway in Islamabad, genocide is being committed in Lebanon,” Asif said on the US social media company X’s platform.
Pro-Iran groups have used artificial intelligence to create slick internet memes in English to try to shape the narrative during the war against the U.S. and Israel and foster opposition to it.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday that he urged his US and Iranian counterparts, Donald Trump and Masoud Pezeshkian, to include Lebanon in the ceasefire reached with Iran.
"Al Jazeera Media Network strongly condemns the heinous crime of targeting and killing Al Jazeera Mubasher correspondent Mohammed Wishah, following a strike on the vehicle in which he was travelling west of the Gaza Strip," the network said in a statement.
Iran announced alternative routes on Thursday for ships travelling through the Strait of Hormuz, citing the risk of sea mines in the main zone of the vital waterway.
The truce reached Tuesday showed signs of unravelling, with Israel bombarding Lebanon and Washington contradicting some of Iran's demands to end the war ahead of planned talks.
Lebanon declared a national day of mourning on Thursday after Israeli strikes pummelled the country, killing nearly 200 people and calling into question the ceasefire between the United States and Iran.
The United States has dispatched Vice President JD Vance, along with senior envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, to Islamabad for high-stakes talks with Iran aimed at securing a lasting ceasefire.
The move drew global praise, with leaders and social media users lauding Pakistan’s leadership for stepping in at a critical moment to defuse tensions.
Indian action movie "Dhurandhar: The Revenge" has swept domestic box-office records as the highest-earning Bollywood Hindi-language film, its producers said Wednesday, and is vying for other top spots.
Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Wednesday that Islamabad would host delegations from the United States and Iran later this week following the Mideast ceasefire announcement.
Pakistan has emerged as a key intermediary between Iran and the United States to secure a temporary ceasefire and host negotiations to end the war in the Middle East.
Israel's opposition leaders swiftly criticised the ceasefire with Iran on Wednesday, accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of failing to achieve the war's objectives.
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he had agreed to a two-week ceasefire with Iran, less than two hours before his deadline for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz
Trump has threatened to target Iran’s power plants and bridges if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened. Experts warn such attacks could trigger unprecedented global oil shortages and destabilize energy markets.
Iran rejected a U.S.-brokered ceasefire and called for a permanent end to the war, while Trump threatened to destroy all bridges and power plants if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed.
