Islamabad — Islamabad (AP) – Pakistan It was announced Sunday that it would soon host talks between the US and Iran, though there was no immediate word from Washington or Tehran, and it was unclear whether it would be discussed. month long war Will be direct or indirect.
“Pakistan is very pleased that both Iran and the US have expressed their confidence in Pakistan to facilitate the talks. Pakistan will be honored to host and facilitate meaningful talks between the two sides in the coming days,” Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said after top diplomats from Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia met in Islamabad.
Pakistan later said the diplomats had left for their home countries. The talks were originally scheduled to continue on Monday.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry did not respond to questions and Iran’s mission to the United Nations declined to comment.
Islamabad has emerged as a mediator, with relatively good relations with Washington and Tehran following what Pakistani officials call several weeks of quiet diplomacy.
Earlier, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf had rejected the talks taking place in Pakistan after some time. 2,500 US Marines Arrived in Middle East trained in amphibious landings. According to state media, he said Iranian forces were “waiting for US troops to arrive on the ground so they can open fire and punish their regional allies forever.”
Iran also threatened to attack the homes of American and Israeli “commanders and political officials” in the region. Ebrahim Zolfaghari, a spokesman for the Joint Command of the Iranian military, cited “targeting of residential homes of Iranian people in various cities” and other “malicious actions”, state media reported.
“We don’t know at what moment our homes could be targeted,” said Razzaq Saghir al-Moussawi, 71. He described continued air strikes as the Iranians entered Iraq and urged the United States to end the war. “I’m definitely scared.”
Meanwhile in Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the army will expand its scope. attack In Lebanon, an existing “security strip” was expanded into the south of that country, targeting the Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorist group. No details were released.
More than 1 million Lebanese have been displaced by the war. One of them, Mohammed Dogman, called Israel “an expansionist state”.
war has threatened global supply oil, natural gas and fertilizer And disrupted air travel. Iran’s hold on strategic strait of hormuz Has shaken up the markets and prices. Now Iran-backed Houthi rebels ‘Entry into war could threaten shipping on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, another vital waterway to the Red Sea.
Israel’s military said its air force had intercepted two drones launched from Yemen on Monday morning.
Late Sunday, Israel’s military said its warplanes had dropped more than 120 munitions in the past 24 hours, targeting sites used for weapons research, development and production in Tehran. Around the same time, Iran’s state television said power had returned to areas of Tehran that had been without power following attacks on power facilities.
Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for launching their first attack in the ongoing war – firing a missile at Israel on Saturday morning, which was also intercepted.
More than 3,000 people have died in war It began with American and Israeli attacks on Iran, leading to Iranian attacks on Israeli and American military assets and other sites in neighboring Gulf Arab states. the war continues digital front Too.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdellatty said the meetings in Pakistan were aimed at starting “direct dialogue” between the US and Iran, which largely communicate through intermediaries. The war began with US and Israeli attacks during indirect negotiations. Pakistan said the foreign ministers met on Sunday without the participation of the US or Israel.
Iranian officials have rejected the US’s 15-point “action list” as a framework for a potential peace deal and have publicly rejected the idea of negotiations under pressure. But Iran’s state broadcaster has reported that Tehran has drafted its own five-point proposal that reportedly demands a halt to the killing of Iranian officials, guarantees against future attacks, compensation and Iran’s “exercise of sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.”
Iran has Some restrictions on commercial vessels eased In the strait, late Saturday night an agreement was reached to allow 20 more Pakistani-flagged ships to pass. Asif Durrani, Pakistan’s former ambassador to Iran, said, “This sends a clear signal that Iran is open to trade with the world, provided the United States forcefully leaves.”
Anwar Gargash, an adviser to the United Arab Emirates, called for any resolution to the war to include “explicit guarantees” that Iranian attacks on neighbors will not be repeated. He said the government of Iran poses the “main threat” to the security of the Persian Gulf, and demanded compensation for attacks on civilian infrastructure.
Iran warned of escalating tensions after Israeli airstrikes hit several universities, including universities that Israel claimed were used for nuclear research and development. Concern over Iran’s nuclear program Are at the center of tension.
Paramilitary force Revolutionary Guard According to state media reports, Iran will consider Israeli universities and branches of American universities in the region as “legitimate targets” unless security assurances are provided for Iranian universities.
“If the U.S. government wants its universities in the region to survive, it should condemn the bombing of Iranian universities by Monday afternoon,” the guard said.
American colleges have campuses in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, including Georgetown, New York, and Northwestern universities. The American University of Beirut and the Lebanese American University, also in Beirut, moved classes online, citing it as a precautionary measure.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry said dozens of universities and research centers were affected, including the Iran University of Science and Technology and Isfahan University of Technology.
Both sides in the war have threatened to attack civilian facilities, which critics warn could amount to war crimes.
In Lebanon, officials said more than 1,200 people have been killed. More deaths were feared after Netanyahu announced the expanded offensive while speaking on a visit to northern Israel. “Hezbollah still has the remaining capability to fire rockets at us,” he said.
Iranian officials say more than 1,900 people have been killed in the Islamic republic, while 19 people are reported dead in Israel.
In Iraq, where Iran-backed militia groups have joined the conflict, 80 members of security forces have been killed.
20 people have died in the Gulf states. Four people have been killed in the occupied West Bank.
Thirteen American service members have been killed In war.
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Magdy reported from Cairo and Anna from Lowville, New York. Associated Press writer Joseph Federman in Jerusalem was contributing; Samya Kullab in Basra, Iraq; Ali Sharafeddine in Beirut; and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles.
