Over two weeks of protests mark the most serious challenge in years to Iran's theocratic leadership in their scale and nature but it is too early to predict the immediate demise of the Islamic republic, analysts say.

US President Donald Trump announced a 25 percent tariff on any country doing business with Iran, ramping up pressure as a crackdown on protests continues.

China has reaffirmed its claim over the Shaksgam Valley, defending infrastructure construction and the 1963 China-Pakistan boundary agreement, while India has rejected Beijing’s assertions, calling the agreement illegal and reiterating that the region is an integral part of its territory.

US toy maker Mattel has released the first autistic Barbie doll, expanding its flagship line as part of what the company says is a broader effort to showcase diversity and inclusion.

Iran has extensive evidence showing the US and Israel had a “big hand” in recent unrest in the country, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told a meeting of foreign diplomats in Tehran on Monday.

Iranians were able to make international mobile phone calls for the first time in days after a nationwide communications blackout imposed during violent protests that activists say killed at least 646 people, offering rare insight into a heavily securitized Tehran as tensions with Washington escalate.

The US State Department has issued an urgent security alert, warning all American citizens in Iran to depart the country immediately without expecting any assistance from Washington.

Indonesia and Pakistan have held high-level defence talks in Islamabad over a potential deal involving more than 40 JF-17 fighter jets, surveillance and strike drones, and military training, highlighting Pakistan’s growing role as a regional defence supplier.

Pakistan is in the final phases of sealing a roughly $1.5 billion arms agreement with Sudan, according to multiple sources including a former air force official.