Name: Who was Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI?
Uploaded: 2022-12-31T16:25:04.000+05:30
Duration: T00M40S
Channel: Editorji News Desk
Description: In 2013, after almost eight years as head of the Catholic Church, Benedict XVI stepped down as Pope

Uncertainty looms over the Middle East as Iran hesitates to resume US peace negotiations in Pakistan. Mutual accusations of ceasefire violations and the renewed closure of the Strait of Hormuz have triggered a sharp jump in global oil prices.

Iran says 'no decision' yet on joining new round of US peace talks

Uncertainty looms over the Middle East as Iran hesitates to resume US peace negotiations in Pakistan. Mutual accusations of ceasefire violations and the renewed closure of the Strait of Hormuz have triggered a sharp jump in global oil prices.

Iran said it had yet to decide whether to attend a new round of peace negotiations with the United States on Monday, casting uncertainty on a push to stop the Middle East war from resuming.
US President Donald Trump said he was sending negotiators to Pakistan for talks on ending the war that engulfed the region and rattled global markets, while repeating threats to attack Iran's infrastructure if it did not make a deal.
After initial talks in Islamabad ended without a deal earlier this month, both sides have accused the other of breaching a temporary truce that is now in its final days.
"We have no plans for the next round of negotiation, and no decision has been made in this regard," Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Monday.
"The US is carrying out behaviours that do not in any way indicate seriousness in pursuing a diplomatic process," he added, calling an ongoing US blockade of Iranian ports and its recent seizure of a ship "clear violations of the ceasefire".
Trump has similarly accused Tehran of violating the truce -- set to lapse overnight Tuesday -- by firing on ships in the crucial Strait of Hormuz trade route, which Iran has all but shut.
The accusations have thrown into fresh doubt the bid to end the war that began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran the morning of February 28, killing the country's supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
Oil prices jumped sharply on Monday over fears hostilities could resume in the weeks-long war, after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz again following a brief reopening over the weekend.
The pessimism in the markets was mirrored in Tehran, despite the capital reopening its main airports on Monday.
"Let's see what happens by Tuesday. The only thing that the 50 days of war has shown is that no one cares about the Iranian people," said one 30-year-old doctor on condition of anonymity.
Saghar, 39, said there was little hope for Iranians squeezed by the government and the war's impact.
"The economy is horrible. They detain people for nothing," she said, declining to give her family name.
 - Security tight -
In spite of the uncertainty surrounding the talks in Pakistan, security has been visibly stepped up in the capital Islamabad.
Authorities announced road closures and traffic restrictions across the city, as well as in neighbouring Rawalpindi.
The US president said his negotiators, whom he did not name, would arrive in Islamabad on Monday, though as of the evening local time, there had still been no announcement of their departure.
A White House official said Vice President JD Vance would lead the delegation after Trump said he would not, citing security concerns.
He would be joined by Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, the official said.
Trump has been under pressure to find an off-ramp since Tehran moved to choke off the Strait of Hormuz.
But the naval blockade to cut off Iran's oil revenues and the seizure of the cargo ship allegedly trying to evade it have drawn renewed threats from Tehran instead of pressuring them back to the negotiating table.
The ISNA news agency cited a spokesperson for Iran's central command centre as warning that the military "will soon respond and retaliate against this armed piracy", while Tasnim reported Tehran had sent drones in the direction of US military ships.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards for their part warned that any attempt to pass through the Strait of Hormuz without permission "will be considered cooperation with the enemy, and the offending vessel will be targeted".
Chinese President Xi Jinping told Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in a phone call on Monday that "normal traffic" through the vital conduit for oil and gas shipments "should be maintained", state media said.
 - Sticking points -
Iran's foreign ministry said delays in implementing a ceasefire in Lebanon, where Israel has been fighting militant group Hezbollah, were also a violation of the Middle East truce.
A separate ceasefire agreed between Israel and Lebanon took effect on Friday and included Hezbollah, whose rocket fire in support of Iran drew Lebanon into the war.
Israel's military on Monday warned Lebanese civilians against returning to dozens of villages in southern Lebanon, claiming Hezbollah's activities were violating the agreement.
Nonetheless, thousands of displaced residents have begun making their way back to southern Lebanon since the truce began.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Sunday that the military would use "full force" against any threats in Lebanon, even during the ceasefire.
Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah told AFP on Monday his group would work to break the "Yellow Line" that Israel has established in southern Lebanon, even as he said it wanted "the ceasefire to continue".
Another major issue in the US-Iran negotiations has been Tehran's stockpile of enriched uranium, which Trump said on Friday it had agreed to hand over.
But Iran's foreign ministry has said the stockpile, thought to be buried from US bombing in last June's 12-day war, was "not going to be transferred anywhere".
Baqaei said on Monday that the issue was not discussed with US negotiators.
"It was never raised as an option for us," he said.

The United States announced a blockade of Iranian ports, warning of further military action if Tehran fails to reach an agreement, as tensions escalate following stalled peace talks.

US to blockade Iran ports 'as long as it takes': Pentagon chief

The United States announced a blockade of Iranian ports, warning of further military action if Tehran fails to reach an agreement, as tensions escalate following stalled peace talks.

The United States will blockade Iranian ports for "as long as it takes," US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday, threatening renewed strikes if Tehran does not make a deal.
"If Iran chooses poorly, then they will have a blockade and bombs dropping on infrastructure, power and energy," Hegseth told a news conference at the Pentagon.
US forces began blockading Iranian ports at 1400 GMT on Monday after peace talks in Pakistan ended without an agreement the previous day.
General Dan Caine, the top US military officer, said the blockade "applies to all ships, regardless of nationality, heading into or from Iranian ports."
"If you do not comply with this blockade, we will use force," Caine said alongside Hegseth.
"So far, 13 ships have made the wise choice of turning around," Caine added.
Hegseth meanwhile said Iranian forces are attempting to dig out equipment buried during the more than five weeks of US-Israeli strikes against the Islamic republic.
Addressing Iranian leaders directly, he said: "We know what military assets you are moving and where you are moving them to. While you are digging out -- which is exactly what you're doing, digging out of bombed out and devastated facilities -- we are only getting stronger."
"You are digging out your remaining launchers and missiles with no ability to replace them -- you have no defense industry, no ability to replenish your offensive or defensive capabilities," Hegseth said.
Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of US Central Command, which is responsible for American forces in the Middle East, said Washington is using the ceasefire to rearm and adjust.
"We're rearming, we're retooling, and we're adjusting our tactics, techniques and procedures. There's no military in the world that adjusts like we do, and that's exactly what we're doing right now during the ceasefire," Cooper said.

Israel continues its offensive against Hezbollah despite global concern, with over 200 killed in Lebanon as Iran warns the fragile US-Iran truce is under threat and tensions escalate ahead of planned talks.

Israel vows to fight on as Iran warns ceasefire talks at risk

Israel continues its offensive against Hezbollah despite global concern, with over 200 killed in Lebanon as Iran warns the fragile US-Iran truce is under threat and tensions escalate ahead of planned talks.

Israel vowed to continue its campaign against Hezbollah on Thursday, dismissing mounting international concern that its strikes on Lebanon threaten a fragile US-Iran truce that could lead to peace negotiations.
At least 203 people were killed and 1,000 wounded in airstrikes on Wednesday, the Lebanese health ministry said, while Hezbollah said it was engaged in close quarters combat against Israeli forces on the ground on Thursday in the south Lebanon town of Bint Jbeil.
Iran's parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned Tehran sees Lebanon as an "inseparable part of the ceasefire" and President Masoud Pezeshkian said Israel's strikes rendered "meaningless" talks with US envoys planned for the end of the week in Pakistan.
President Donald Trump claimed victory in the Middle East war after agreeing a two-week truce to allow talks between US and Iranian negotiators to end a conflict that has already killed thousands and plunged the global economy into turmoil -- but both Israel and the US insist the fighting in Lebanon is not covered by the ceasefire.
"We are continuing to strike Hezbollah with force, precision, and determination," Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, in a social media post. "Our message is clear: anyone who acts against Israeli civilians, we will strike them. We will continue to hit Hezbollah wherever necessary."
Tehran's ambassador to Pakistan, meanwhile, deleted a social media post saying an Iranian delegation would arrive in Pakistan on Thursday.
An official at the Iranian embassy in Islamabad told AFP the post was removed "because of some issues" and refused to say whether the delegation was still expected.
 - 'Running left and right' -
Amid fears that the fragile truce could break down in the Gulf, there were international calls for the ceasefire to encompass Lebanon.
"Israeli actions are putting the US-Iran ceasefire under severe strain. The Iran truce should extend to Lebanon," the European Union's top diplomat Kaja Kallas said.
France's foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot condemned the strikes as "unacceptable", while his British counterpart Yvette Cooper called for the ceasefire to include Lebanon.
The Lebanese prime minister's office said Thursday would be "a national day of mourning for the martyrs and wounded of the Israeli attacks that targeted hundreds of innocent, defenceless civilians".
UN rights chief Volker Turk called the scale of killing in Lebanon "horrific", after strikes across the capital Beirut that came without warning triggered horror and panic.
"People started running left and right, and smoke was billowing," said Ali Younes, who was waiting for his wife near Corniche Al-Mazraa, one of the areas targeted.
Hezbollah said it had fired rockets towards Israel in response to what it called a violation of the truce.
US Vice President JD Vance backed Israel in saying Lebanon was excluded from the truce, days before he was due to lead talks with Tehran in Pakistan.
"If Iran wants to let this negotiation fall apart... over Lebanon, which has nothing to do with them, and which the United States never once said was part of the ceasefire, that's ultimately their choice," he said.
 - High-stakes talks -
Separately, the head of Iran's nuclear energy agency, Mohammad Eslami, dismissed Washington's suggestions that the truce deal would halt Tehran's nuclear programme.
"The claims and demands of our enemies to restrict Iran's enrichment programme are merely wishes that will be buried," he said.
The bellicose rhetoric came ahead of high-stakes talks in Pakistan expected on Friday or Saturday.
A key point of contention remains the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil as well as vast quantities of natural gas and fertiliser pass in peacetime.
Iran announced alternative routes on Thursday for ships travelling through the strait, citing the risk of sea mines.
But it was unclear if Tehran was in practice allowing vessels to pass through the strait, following reports on Wednesday suggesting it was shut -- something the White House called "completely unacceptable".

US President Donald Trump says Iran will not enrich uranium under a potential deal, adding that both countries may cooperate to remove nuclear material, even as differences over sanctions and enrichment persist.

Trump says 'no enrichment' of uranium in Iran

US President Donald Trump says Iran will not enrich uranium under a potential deal, adding that both countries may cooperate to remove nuclear material, even as differences over sanctions and enrichment persist.

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday there will be no enrichment of uranium by Iran, and that the countries will work together to "dig up and remove" nuclear material buried by US strikes last year.
"The United States will work closely with Iran, which we have determined has gone through what will be a very productive Regime Change!" Trump posted on his Truth Social platform hours after he proclaimed a two-week ceasefire in the Middle East war.
"There will be no enrichment of Uranium, and the United States will, working with Iran, dig up and remove all of the deeply buried (B-2 Bombers) Nuclear 'Dust,'" he added, apparently referring to the aftermath of US strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities last year.
The statement marked the latest announcement by Trump after he backed off a threat to inflct devastating strikes on Iran -- which he has accused for years of seeking to develop nuclear weapons.
The deal for a two-week ceasefire includes the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane for oil and a fulcrum of the nearly six-week-long war.
In June 2025, US forces struck three nuclear sites in Iran -- Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan -- with powerful bunker-busting bombs dropped from B-2 stealth bombers.
Trump at the time claimed the operation "obliterated" Iran's nuclear capability and set back its nuclear program by decades.
But the exact extent of the damage is unknown. Prior to last year's strikes, Iran was enriching uranium to 60 percent, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
That is far higher than necessary for civilian reactor levels, and close to the 90 percent required to build a nuclear weapon.
While Western powers and Israel have long accused Iran of seeking to acquire atomic weapons, Tehran denies it.
Trump also said that as part of engagement with Tehran, "we are, and will be, talking Tariff and Sanctions relief with Iran."
But he warned against anyone supplying military weapons to Iran, threatening 50-percent US tariffs, "effective immediately," on countries that do so.
According to Iranian state media, the plan proposed by Tehran calls for the lifting of sanctions that are stifling the country's economy, and stipulates that the United States accept Iran's uranium enrichment, a demand at deep odds with Washington's stated position.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif invites US and Iranian delegations to Islamabad for talks aimed at securing a lasting agreement, as Pakistan plays a key mediating role following a fragile ceasefire.

Pakistan to host US-Iran ceasefire talks on Friday

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif invites US and Iranian delegations to Islamabad for talks aimed at securing a lasting agreement, as Pakistan plays a key mediating role following a fragile ceasefire.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Wednesday that Islamabad would host delegations from the United States and Iran later this week following their ceasefire announcement.
"I... extend deepest gratitude to the leadership of both the countries and invite their delegations to Islamabad on Friday, 10th April 2026, to further negotiate for a conclusive agreement to settle all disputes," he said in a post on X.
Pakistan, which has forged a close relationship with US President Donald Trump and is sensitive to developments in neighbouring Iran, has emerged as a channel for messaging between Tehran and Washington in recent weeks.
"We earnestly hope, that the 'Islamabad Talks' succeed in achieving sustainable peace and wish to share more good news in coming days," Sharif said.
Both Tehran and Washington said they had agreed to a two-week ceasefire barely an hour before Trump's deadline to obliterate Iran was set to expire.
The war began when Israel and the United States launched strikes on Iran that killed its supreme leader on February 28, sparking retaliatory attacks from Tehran on Gulf nations and Israel.
Lebanon has also been drawn into the conflict after Iran-backed group Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel, which has since carried out strikes, including on the capital, and launched a ground operation in the south of the country.
Sharif said the ceasefire applied "everywhere" including Lebanon, though Israel later said it would not stop its aerial and ground operations there against Hezbollah militants.
The temporary ceasefire came after a down-to-the-wire bid by Pakistan and other mediators to avert Trump's threat to destroy all power plants and bridges across Iran, a move that legal experts said could constitute a war crime.
Turkey and Egypt had also been helping mediate in recent days. China helped get Iran to the negotiating table, Trump told AFP on Wednesday.
Sharif, in a separate X post, said China, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt and Qatar had all provided "support towards reaching the ceasefire and giving peaceful diplomatic efforts a chance".
The Pakistani leader also thanked Arab Gulf nations for their "commitment to peace and stability in the region".
Despite trading missile fire with Iran two years ago and holding an at-times rocky relationship with the United States, Pakistan currently shares warm ties with both countries.
That helped boost its moderating credentials, burnished by its strong bonds with heavyweight regional players, including Saudi Arabia and Beijing.
Pakistan is home to the world's second-biggest Shia Muslim population after Iran -- with which it shares a 900-kilometre (560-mile) border -- and represents some Iranian diplomatic interests in Washington where Tehran has no embassy.

A fragile ceasefire between the US and Iran faces early strain as fresh missile and drone attacks hit Gulf nations, raising concerns over stability, Strait of Hormuz control, and upcoming negotiations.

Iran hits Gulf states after agreeing 'fragile' truce with US

A fragile ceasefire between the US and Iran faces early strain as fresh missile and drone attacks hit Gulf nations, raising concerns over stability, Strait of Hormuz control, and upcoming negotiations.

US Vice President JD Vance warned the truce between Washington and Tehran remained "fragile" Wednesday as several Gulf nations endured fresh attacks just hours after the rivals agreed a two-week ceasefire.
The strikes on Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates came as two ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran agreed to temporarily reopen the strategic waterway under threat of annihilation by President Donald Trump.
Both sides claimed victory as the eleventh-hour ceasefire was announced but Iran warned the war was not over until formal terms were negotiated, with talks between Tehran and Washington expected in Pakistan on Friday.
Tehran's demands over future control of Hormuz -- a narrow strait through which one-fifth of the world's oil usually passes -- uranium enrichment and economic sanctions are at deep odds with Washington.
Vance, speaking in Budapest, said negotiations could turn a "fragile truce" into a deal if Iran was "willing in good faith to work with us".
If not "they're going to find out that the President of the United States is not one to mess around. He's impatient. He's impatient to make progress," Vance said.
Pope Leo was among a chorus of world leaders to call on Wednesday for a full end to the war, which has killed thousands of people, sparked an energy crisis and roiled global markets.
Trump told AFP the deal was a "total and complete victory" for the US, which conducted airstrikes with Israel on February 28 that killed Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and ignited a regional war.
Iran also hailed the ceasefire as a win but warned it "does not mean the end of the war" unless its terms were met.
Its powerful Revolutionary Guards said on Wednesday they had "no trust" in US promises and warned their "finger is on the trigger".
 - Gulf strikes -
Underscoring the precarity of the situation, Iranian state media announced fresh "missile and drone attacks" Wednesday on US-allied Gulf states UAE and Kuwait in retaliation for airstrikes against its oil facilities.
Kuwait said its oil facilities and power and desalination plants were damaged in "an intense wave" of strikes that lasted hours, and demanded Iran cease its attacks.
The UAE said it was intercepting Iranian attacks while Bahrain also said its capital Manama had been hit.
Iran has unleashed weeks of aerial attacks on Gulf Arab states, citing their role as hubs for US troops and shattering their hard-fought reputation for safety and stability.
There was also no let-up to fighting in Lebanon, where Israel renewed strikes against Hezbollah on Wednesday despite the Iran-backed armed group not claiming any operations since 1 am (Tuesday 2200 GMT).
It announced its "largest coordinated" strikes across Lebanon, while Lebanese state media reported strikes on Beirut and its suburbs.
The White House said Israel had agreed to the ceasefire but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it did not include Lebanon, where Israel's operation has killed more than 1,500 people, according to local authorities.
Israel had encouraged Trump to launch the war against Iran, its arch-foe, according to a report in The New York Times.
A peace agreement would leave in place the Islamic republic despite US and Israeli hopes of toppling it. The United States and Israel said that they attacked Iran to degrade its military capacity.
In Tehran, streets were quieter than usual on Wednesday, with many shops closed after a long and anxious night for city inhabitants fearing a massive US attack.
Trump had earlier warned a "whole civilisation will die" in Iran if the Strait of Hormuz was not opened by midnight GMT but said he held off after speaking with Pakistan's leaders.
He later told AFP he believed China had helped get Tehran to negotiate.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed safe passage for two weeks for ships through the strait, which Tehran sealed off in retaliation for the war, sending global energy prices soaring.
A Greek-owned bulk carrier and a Liberia-flagged vessel sailed through on Wednesday, said the maritime monitor Marine Traffic.
Trump posted Wednesday on social media that the US would "be helping with the traffic buildup in the Strait of Hormuz".
 - Oil prices drop -
Oil prices plunged by more than 17 percent after the ceasefire announcement, while European natural gas dropped 20 percent. Stock prices also soared in early trading on Wednesday in Asia.
Trump said the United States was "very far along" in negotiating a long-term agreement with Iran, which had submitted a 10-point plan that he said was "workable".
But Iran publicly released points that took maximalist positions, including lifting long-standing US sanctions, guaranteeing Iranian "dominion" over the strait and removing US forces from the region.
Crucially, it also said its plan would require Washington to accept its uranium enrichment programme.
Trump has alleged that Iran was near to building an atomic bomb, an assertion not backed by the UN nuclear watchdog and most observers.
He insisted the nuclear material would be covered by any peace deal.
"That will be perfectly taken care of, or I wouldn't have settled," Trump told AFP, without giving any specifics about what would happen to the uranium.
Trump would not say whether he would go back to his original threats to lay waste to all power plants and bridges across the country of more than 90 million people if the deal fell apart.
"You're going to have to see," he told AFP.
Much global reaction to the ceasefire focused on the need to turn the ceasefire into a workable peace deal.
Egypt praised efforts to "give diplomacy a chance" while Oman spoke of finding "solutions capable of resolving the crisis at its roots".
Ahead of a visit to the Gulf, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged Wednesday to do everything possible to turn the ceasefire "into a lasting agreement" that ensures the reopening of Hormuz.

US President Donald Trump issues stark warning to Iran amid ongoing conflict, setting a deadline over the Strait of Hormuz as tensions escalate with continued strikes.

Trump warns 'whole civilization will die' in Iran if ultimatum expires

US President Donald Trump issues stark warning to Iran amid ongoing conflict, setting a deadline over the Strait of Hormuz as tensions escalate with continued strikes.

President Donald Trump warned that "a whole civilization will die" in Iran on Tuesday if the country does not heed his ultimatum to accept US war demands.
With Trump ratcheting up his strident language in recent days, Vice President JD Vance offered his own threatening assessment of what may follow, warning Tehran that US forces have tools they "so far haven't decided to use" against the Islamic republic.
Through weeks of conflict, the United States and its ally Israel have leveled Iranian military targets, killed the country's top leadership and devastated parts of the country's infrastructure.
Early Tuesday he issued one of his most glaring threats of the war.
"A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don't want that to happen, but it probably will," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Trump did not give details but he has already said the US military could bomb Iran's bridges, power plants and other civilian infrastructure into the "stone age."
Trump has announced a deadline of midnight GMT Tuesday for Iran to end its de facto closing of the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow, strategic waterway used to transport oil and other commodities.
On Monday, he said a temporary ceasefire proposal being circulated was insufficient.
Iran has rejected US pressure, with state media reporting authorities are insisting that instead of just a ceasefire it wants a full end to the war.
On Truth Social, Trump left the door open for a last-hour agreement.
"Now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS? We will find out tonight," he wrote.
Trump said Monday that starting in Washington late Tuesday evening, US forces would destroy "every bridge in Iran" and cripple "every power plant" in the country -- something that many experts say would be a blatant war crime.
The extent of Trump's saber rattling and provocative language has appalled critics.
"This is an extremely sick person," top US Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer posted on X. "Each Republican who refuses to join us in voting against this wanton war of choice owns every consequence of whatever the hell this is."
Meanwhile Vance, visiting Hungary, delivered an ominous warning even as he told reporters that Washington has "largely accomplished its military objectives," and that more negotiations were expected ahead of the deadline.
"They've got to know we've got tools in our toolkit that we so far haven't decided to use," Vance said. Trump "will decide to use them if the Iranians don't change their course of conduct."
US and Israeli warplanes have been continuously bombing Iran since February 28, and on Tuesday Tehran said that its crucial oil export terminal on Kharg island was under attack.

US President Donald Trump warned of destroying Iran’s oil infrastructure if a peace deal is not reached, escalating tensions that have already pushed global oil prices higher amid fears of wider conflict and Strait of Hormuz disruption.

Trump threatens to destroy Iran oil island despite price surge

US President Donald Trump warned of destroying Iran&rsquo;s oil infrastructure if a peace deal is not reached, escalating tensions that have already pushed global oil prices higher amid fears of wider conflict and Strait of Hormuz disruption.

US President Donald Trump pushed concerns about surging world prices aside Monday and threatened to destroy Iran's oil wells, power plants and main export terminal if Tehran does not quickly accept a peace deal.
An earlier Trump comment warning of a possible assault by US ground troops to seize Iran's Kharg Island oil facilities had already sent prices higher, but the US leader then doubled down in a combative social media post.
Trump expressed confidence that a negotiated settlement would soon be reached but warned that if it was not -- or if Iran continued to block the Strait of Hormuz to most sea traffic -- US forces would "blow up" Kharg Island and all of Iran's oil wells and electricity generation.
Iran has previously threatened that if its key economic sites face further US and Israeli strikes it will target the energy infrastructure of its oil and gas-rich Arab neighbours on the Gulf, and the month-old war has already inflicted havoc on the global economy and plunged markets into turmoil.
Market experts warned that any US ground operation or wider Iranian retaliation could send oil prices to levels not seen since the July 2008 commodity boom, when the cost of world benchmark crude Brent hit close to $150 per barrel -- and could rise far more.
Brent has already risen in price by nearly 60 percent this month, and the US benchmark WTI by more than half.
"If the US were to launch a ground invasion of Iran, possibly taking the Kharg Island, or if Tehran were to intensify retaliatory strikes on energy infrastructure or fully close the Strait, projections of $200 (a barrel) oil will not be an otherworldly supposition anymore," analyst Tamas Varga of PVM Energy said.
As Israel pressed its offensive against Iran-backed Hezbollah in south Lebanon -- hitting, an official told AFP, an army checkpoint and killing a Lebanese soldier -- Indonesia confirmed on Monday that one of its peacekeepers was killed after the UN force said a projectile hit one of its positions.
Separately, the Israeli military said one of its soldiers was killed on Sunday in combat in southern Lebanon, bringing to six the number of troops killed since fighting with Hezbollah began this month.
 - Diplomatic efforts -
On the ground there appeared to be no let-up in hostilities. Israel said its air defence batteries responded to "missiles launched from Iran", after earlier announcing it was striking "terror regime military infrastructure across Tehran".
Israel confirmed that in recent days it had hit the Imam Hossein University in Tehran, which it says is used by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) for advanced weapons research. Tehran has warned it could strike US universities across the Middle East.
On the diplomatic front, Pakistan -- acting as a go-between for Washington and Tehran -- hosted foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt in Islamabad on Sunday for talks on the crisis.
Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said they had discussed how to "bring an early and permanent end to the war."
He said Iran and the United States had expressed "confidence in Pakistan to facilitate the talks" and that he had spoken to his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi as well as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and other foreign ministers who also backed the idea.
Nevertheless, the speaker of Iran's parliament accused Washington of using diplomacy as a smoke screen.
Despite making diplomatic overtures, including proposing a 15-point plan to end the war, the United States has also been sending more military assets into the region, including an amphibious assault ship carrying 3,500 Marines.
 - Sleepless nights -
The weeks of strikes have also taken a heavy toll on ordinary people in Iran.
"I miss a peaceful night's sleep," an artist in Tehran told AFP, saying night-time strikes were "so intense it felt like all of Tehran was shaking".
The war has escalated into a regional conflagration as Tehran retaliates with attacks on Gulf states and virtually seals the critical Strait of Hormuz oil shipping lane.
Iran says it has closed the Strait of Hormuz, which previously accounted for a quarter of the world's seaborne oil trade and a fifth of liquefied natural gas shipments, to vessels from hostile nations.

Balendra Shah, a 35-year-old leader, was sworn in as Nepal’s prime minister following a landslide electoral victory. His appointment marks a historic moment as the youngest democratically elected leader.

Rapper-turned-politician Balen Shah becomes Nepal’s youngest democratically elected PM

Balendra Shah, a 35-year-old leader, was sworn in as Nepal&rsquo;s prime minister following a landslide electoral victory. His appointment marks a historic moment as the youngest democratically elected leader.

Rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah was sworn in as Nepal&rsquo;s prime minister on Friday, making history as the youngest leader to be democratically elected to the top office of the Himalayan nation, around six months after the dramatic collapse of the KP Sharma Oli government in an unprecedented youth movement.
The 35-year-old Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) leader, popularly known as 'Balen', was sworn in by President Ram Chandra Paudel at a ceremony at the President's Office. The RSP had registered a landslide victory in this month's parliamentary elections.
Shah, a former mayor of Kathmandu, is the youngest leader to be democratically elected to the top office in the Himalayan nation. He is also the first person from the Madhes region to become the prime minister.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted Shah shortly after the swearing-in ceremony and said he was looking forward to working closely with his Nepalese counterpart to take forward India-Nepal ties.
&ldquo;Your appointment reflects the trust reposed in your leadership by the people of Nepal. I look forward to working closely with you to take India-Nepal friendship and cooperation to even greater heights for the mutual benefit of our two peoples,&rdquo; PM Modi posted on X.
Nepal is important for India in the context of its overall strategic interests in the region, and leaders of the two countries have often noted the age-old "Roti Beti" relationship.
Land-locked Nepal relies heavily on India for the transportation of goods and services. Nepal's access to the sea is through India, and it imports a predominant proportion of its requirements from and through India.
Balen is the first democratically elected prime minister to be sworn in since the coalition government led by former prime minister Oli was ousted in September last year, following the youth-led Gen Z protest against corruption, nepotism, and a social media ban that escalated into violence.
Following Oli's ouster, former chief justice Sushila Karki took charge as the interim prime minister on the recommendation of the Gen Z group.
Balen was a popular choice to lead the interim government, but declined, saying he would rather head the government by contesting the parliamentary election for a full term.
&ldquo;Congratulations to the newly appointed Prime Minister, Balendra Shah. I feel all the more elated that a 35-year-old young man is my successor. I extend my best wishes to him. I wish him success in pushing forward the people's mandate with vigour and rigour,&rdquo; Karki posted on X after the ceremony.
Apart from Balen, other ministers also took the oath at the ceremony on Friday.
Swarnim Wagle took the oath as the Minister of Finance, Shisir Khanal as Minister for Foreign Affairs, and Sudan Gurung as Minister for Home Affairs.
Balen will hold the portfolios of the Defence Ministry and the Industry, Commerce and Supplies Ministry.
Biraj Bhakta Shrestha will oversee the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation, and Bikram Timilsina will serve as Minister for Communications and Information Technology.
Pratibha Rawal was appointed Minister of Federal Affairs and General Administration, Ganesh Paudel as Minister of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation, and Sunil Lamsal as Minister of Physical Infrastructure and Transport.
Similarly, Gita Chaudhary took oath as Agriculture and Livestock Development Minister, Sasmit Pokharel as Minister for Education, Science, and Technology, Nisha Mehata as Minister for Health and Population, Sita Badi as Minister of Women, Children, and Senior Citizens, and Sobita Gautam as Minister for Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs.
In the March 5 general elections, Balen defeated four-time prime minister Sharma Oli by a huge margin in the Jhapa-5 constituency, a long-standing stronghold of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist).
The RSP won a landslide victory in the March 5 poll, securing a massive 182 seats out of the total 275 seats in the House of Representatives (HoR), making it eligible to form a majority government.
Balen and the RSP tsunami almost wiped out the traditional parties, with the Nepali Congress winning only 38 seats, followed by the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist-Leninist (CPN-UML) with 25, and the Nepali Communist Party getting only 17 seats.
Pakistan&rsquo;s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated Shah for his party&rsquo;s landslide victory.
China has also congratulated Shah on his appointment saying it is &ldquo;Ready to work with Nepal&rsquo;s new government to further strengthen traditional friendship and practical cooperation,&rdquo; China&rsquo;s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian posted on X.
Balen is the youngest democratically elected prime minister of the Himalayan nation. Before him, a few young leaders were nominated or appointed, but they were not democratically elected.
Like Tulsi Giri, who was nominated in 1963 as the chair of the council of ministers, a position that was equivalent to that of prime minister by the then-king, was around 37 years old when he took charge.
Significantly, he was not elected but nominated by King Mahendra Shah.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned civilians across the Middle East to avoid areas near US forces amid escalating tensions, even as Donald Trump said talks to end the conflict were progressing.

Iran warns civilians as Trump says talks 'going well'

Iran&rsquo;s Revolutionary Guards warned civilians across the Middle East to avoid areas near US forces amid escalating tensions, even as Donald Trump said talks to end the conflict were progressing.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned civilians across the Middle East Friday to stay away from areas near US forces, in a mark of defiance after President Donald Trump claimed talks to end the month-long war were "going well".
The Guards' warning came after Trump again extended a deadline for Tehran to open the Strait of Hormuz or face the destruction of its energy assets, pushing it from Friday to April 6.
With war engulfing the region four weeks after the United States and Israel first attacked Iran on February 28, Tehran resident Ensieh said every day she was "losing more hope".
"We're caught between three mad powers, and war is terrifying," the 46-year-old dentist told AFP journalists outside Iran. "I know I'll never be the same person again."
Local media confirmed fresh strikes rained down overnight on Iran's capital -- muffled by the sound of thunderstorms according to an AFP correspondent -- as well as the holy city of Qom further south and Urmia in the northwest.
A month of US and Israeli attacks have damaged at least 120 museums and cultural and historic sites nationwide, a top Tehran official said, including the UNESCO-listed Golestan Palace -- sometimes likened to Versailles.
In announcing a new reprieve over the Hormuz blockade, which threatens lasting damage on the global economy, Trump insisted the Islamic republic wanted to "make a deal".
But the Iranian side, which has made it clear it wants to end fighting on its own terms, indicated no let up in reprisal attacks against Israel and targets across the Gulf.
Accusing US-Israeli forces of resorting to "human shields", Iran's Guards told civilians to "urgently leave locations where American forces are stationed so that no harm comes to you" -- as Iran's military threatened to target hotels housing US soldiers across the region.
 - 'Hostage' -
Markets have been upended by Iranian attacks on trade and energy targets in the Gulf, with Kuwait saying Friday its main commercial port was damaged in a drone attack at dawn.
A top Iranian official threatened to attack Saudi Arabia's Red Sea port of Yanbu, home to the Samref oil refinery, as well as the coastal Fujairah oil complex in the United Arab Emirates, should a ground invasion take place.
"Step onto Iranian soil, and $150 becomes the floor for oil," Vice President Esmael Saghab Esfahani wrote on X. "Destruction of Fujairah and Yanbu are just our entry tickets."
Iran's message on Hormuz was just as defiant, with the Guards saying the strait was "closed" to vessels travelling to and from enemy ports, and that they had turned back three ships seeking to cross.
Oil prices and stocks were mixed after Trump pushed back for a second time his ultimatum, while in the latest sign of the economic fallout the Bank of Spain warned the country faced a "significant slowdown" due to the war.
With America's top diplomat Marco Rubio in France for G7 talks, counterparts pressed him for clarity on American plans for Iran.
UK foreign minister Yvette Cooper called for a "swift" conflict resolution and an end to Iran's block on Hormuz that was holding "the global economy hostage."
Without revealing his source, German top diplomat Johann Wadephul said a "direct meeting" between Washington and Tehran was expected "very soon" in Pakistan, which is acting as a go-between.
Iran has reportedly replied to a 15-point US plan and is awaiting a response, having made its own demands including war reparations and recognition of its sovereignty over Hormuz.
 - 'Heavy price' -
The Tasnim news agency said Tehran also called for an end to US and Israeli attacks on its territory and on aligned regional groups -- a reference to Lebanon's Hezbollah, among others.
But analysts at the Soufan Center warned the United States cannot "make any guarantees on behalf of Israel."
And in spite of the push for diplomacy, America's Israeli ally showed no sign of wavering, with Defence Minister Israel Katz vowing to "intensify and expand" strikes on Iran in response to missile attacks on its soil.
"They will pay a heavy price, an increasingly heavy one, for this war crime," Katz said in a video message.
The escalation threat came despite opposition leader Yair Lapid warning its military was "stretched to the limit and beyond" especially on the front with Lebanon -- drawn into the war after Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel.

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In 2013, after almost eight years as head of the Catholic Church, Benedict XVI stepped down as Pope

Who was Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI?

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI took over the Roman Catholic Church in 2005 after the death of Pope John Paul II. He was 78 then, making him one of oldest popes to be elected. 

In 2013, after almost eight years as head of the Catholic Church, Benedict XVI stepped down as Pope

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI took over the Roman Catholic Church in 2005 after the death of Pope John Paul II. He was 78 then, making him one of oldest popes to be elected.&nbsp;
In 2013, after almost eight years as head of the Catholic Church, Benedict XVI stepped down as Pope citing his declining physical and mental health. He was given the honorific title of Pope Emeritus.&nbsp;
It was the first papal resignation since 1415. &nbsp;Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI was succeeded by the current pope, Francis.&nbsp;
Also Watch| <a href="https://www.editorji.com/world-news/pope-emeritus-benedict-xvi-dies-at-95-vatican-1672480570730">Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI dies at 95: Vatican</a>

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during talks with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre in Oslo, said lasting peace in Ukraine and West Asia can only be achieved through dialogue and diplomacy, not military action alone.

PM Modi calls for peaceful resolution of conflicts in West Asia and Ukraine

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during talks with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr St&oslash;re in Oslo, said lasting peace in Ukraine and West Asia can only be achieved through dialogue and diplomacy, not military action alone.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday called for a resolution of the West Asia crisis and the Ukraine conflict through dialogue and diplomacy, asserting that military action alone cannot achieve lasting peace.
Modi made the remarks after holding wide-ranging talks with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store that focused on boosting the overall trajectory of bilateral relations.
"India and Norway, both, believe in a rules-based order, dialogue, and diplomacy. We agree that no issue can be resolved through military conflict alone," Modi said in his televised statement to the media.
"Be it Ukraine or West Asia, we will continue to support every effort for the early end of the conflict and for peace," he said.
Modi met Store hours after he landed in Oslo from Sweden as part of his four-nation European tour.
In his remarks, the prime minister also underlined the need for reform of the global institutions.
"We also agree on this point that reforming global institutions is essential for addressing the growing global challenges."
"And eradicating terrorism in every form from its roots is our shared commitment," he noted.
Modi also complimented Norway for its support to India following last year's Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people, mostly tourists.
"I was supposed to visit Norway last year, but had to postpone that trip due to the terrorist attack in Pahalgam. During that difficult time, Norway stood firmly with India against terrorism, demonstrating true friendship," he said.
"Today, as I visit Norway, I express my heartfelt gratitude for that solidarity," he said.
Modi also hailed Norway's decision to join the India-led Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative.
"As two major maritime nations, we will work together to strengthen cooperation in the marine economy, maritime security, and capacity building," he said.

US President Donald Trump arrived in Beijing for crucial talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, with trade disputes, Iran, Taiwan and business deals high on the agenda.

Trump arrives in China for superpower summit with Xi Jinping

US President Donald Trump arrived in Beijing for crucial talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, with trade disputes, Iran, Taiwan and business deals high on the agenda.

US President Donald Trump landed in Beijing on Wednesday for a high-stakes summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping aimed at easing deep tensions between the rival superpowers.
Giving a fist pump, Trump descended the steps of Air Force One after touching down at Beijing Capital International Airport, kicking off the first visit to China by a US president in nearly a decade.
Right behind him were Tesla boss Elon Musk and Nvidia chief Jensen Huang -- potent symbols of the business deals that Trump hopes to sign between the world's biggest economies.
Trump was greeted with a bunch of flowers and then walked along the red carpet, which was lined with 300 Chinese youth in white uniforms chanting "welcome" and waving small Chinese and US flags in unison.
While en route to Beijing, Trump said on social media he would "be asking President Xi, a Leader of extraordinary distinction, to 'open up' China so that these brilliant people can work their magic".
Nvidia's Huang was a surprise late addition to the trip, joining the plane at a stopover in Alaska. China is currently banned under US national security rules from buying the cutting-edge AI chips that the company produces.
But Iran, trade and Taiwan loom over the highly anticipated meeting, which Trump had already delayed from March because of the war the United States and Israel started in the Middle East.
 - China 'welcomes' Trump visit -
Visiting China for the first time since 2017 during his previous term, Trump is expected to receive a lavish welcome from Chinese authorities.
Trump and Xi will hold talks at 10:00 am (0200 GMT) on Thursday in Beijing's opulent Great Hall of the People.
The US president will also visit the historic Temple of Heaven, a world heritage site where China's emperors once prayed for good harvest.
The leaders will then enjoy a state banquet in the evening.
On Friday, they are set to have tea and a working lunch before Trump heads home.
As he departed the White House, Trump said he expected a "long talk" with Xi about the joint US-Israeli war with Iran, which sells most of its US-sanctioned oil to China.
But he also downplayed disagreements, telling reporters that "I don't think we need any help with Iran" from China and that Xi had been "relatively good" on the topic.
The Chinese foreign ministry said Wednesday it "welcomes" Trump's visit and that "China stands ready to work with the United States... to expand cooperation and manage differences".
Yet Beijing is growing impatient for peace, with Foreign Minister Wang Yi urging his Pakistani counterpart on Tuesday to step up mediation efforts between Iran and the United States.
 - 'Big deal' -
The long-simmering trade war between the two countries will also be top of the agenda, after Trump's sweeping tariffs last year triggered tit-for-tat levies that exceeded 100 percent.
Trump and Xi are set to discuss extending a one-year tariff truce, which the two leaders reached during their last meeting in South Korea in October, although a deal is far from certain.
China's controls on rare earth and agriculture exports are also expected to be on the menu.
The tense buildup to the summit was already visible on the streets of Beijing, with police monitoring major intersections and checking the ID cards of passengers on the metro, AFP journalists saw.
"It's definitely a big deal," said Wen Wen, a 24-year-old woman travelling from the eastern city of Nanjing, when asked by AFP about Trump's visit.
Trump has repeatedly touted a strong personal relationship with Xi, which he insisted on Monday would prevent a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, the self-ruled democracy claimed by Beijing.
While Trump said on Monday he would speak to Xi about US arms sales to Taiwan, the move marks a departure from historic US insistence that it will not consult Beijing on its support to the island.
His trip will be closely scrutinised by Taiwan and Asian allies for any sign of weakening US support.

US President Donald Trump orders military action against Iranian boats amid escalating Strait of Hormuz crisis, tanker seizures and global trade disruptions.

Trump orders US military to 'shoot and kill' Iranian small boats choking Strait of Hormuz

US President Donald Trump orders military action against Iranian boats amid escalating Strait of Hormuz crisis, tanker seizures and global trade disruptions.

President Donald Trump ordered the US Navy on Thursday to destroy any Iranian boat caught laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, putting more pressure on a fraying ceasefire as disruption from the Gulf stand-off battered the world economy.
Trump's announcement came after the US fleet boarded a vessel in the Indian Ocean that was transporting oil from Iran and after a senior Iranian official said Tehran had banked its first proceeds from the tolls it exacts on shipping through the strait.
With plans for renewed peace talks in Pakistan hanging in the balance, more fuel-hungry airlines cancelled flights, oil prices climbed higher once again and the keenly-watched S&amp;P Global PMI index showed eurozone business activity shrinking for the first time in 16 months.
"I have ordered the United States Navy to shoot and kill any boat, small boats though they may be... that is putting mines in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz," Trump posted.
Iran vowed it would keep the strait closed to all but a trickle of approved vessels for as long as the US Navy blockades its ports, brushing off demands from Trump to both reopen Hormuz and surrender its enriched uranium.
The US responded to Iran's action by imposing its own blockade of Iranian ports, and on Thursday the Pentagon announced on social media that US forces had "carried out a maritime interdiction and right-of-visit boarding of the sanctioned stateless vessel M/T Majestic X transporting oil from Iran, in the Indian Ocean".
The post included footage of US military personnel rappelling from helicopters onto the deck of a large tanker.
The statement said the US would "continue global maritime enforcement to disrupt illicit networks and interdict vessels providing material support to Iran, wherever they operate".
 - 'Not possible' -
While strikes around the region have mostly ceased since the two-week-old truce began, there has been no letup in the confrontation over Hormuz, with both sides seeking economic leverage -- only for Trump to announce an indefinite ceasefire to create space for more talks.
"A complete ceasefire only has meaning if it is not violated through a naval blockade," said Iran's parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who led Tehran's delegation at a first round of talks in Pakistan.
"Reopening the Strait of Hormuz is not possible amid a blatant violation of the ceasefire."
Ghalibaf's deputy, Hamidreza Hajibabaei, said Iran received its first revenue from tolls it is imposing on ships seeking to cross Hormuz, a route that in peacetime accounts for a fifth of the world's oil and gas flows, and other vital commodities.
Analysts said Tehran, in particular its hardline leaders associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), believes that Iran's blockade gives it sufficient economic leverage to force Washington to back down on its main demands in peace talks.
And some, such as Danny Citrinowicz of the Tel-Aviv Institute for National Security Studies, criticised Israel and the US for misreading the Iranian government's position.
"Tehran has consistently demonstrated a willingness to absorb economic pain while holding firm on what it views as core national interests. There is little reason to believe this time will be different," he said in a social media post.
"Rather than moving toward concession, Iran is positioning itself to escalate."
A brief from the Soufan Center think tank said Iran's hardliners "argue that a prolonged elevation of global energy prices and mounting global shortages of some goods will increasingly pressure Trump to accede to Iran's positions, end the war, and eventually withdraw US forces from the region.
"Trump and his team calculate the opposite -- that the US blockade of Iran's seaborne trade, which carries all of its oil exports, will quickly cripple Iran's economy and force Iran to accept US demands."
 - Peace talks -
On Wednesday, Trump told the New York Post that talks could resume in Pakistan within two to three days, even though Iran has not confirmed participation and Vice President JD Vance put his travel to Islamabad on hold on Tuesday.
In the Pakistani capital, blanket security remained in place for the fourth straight day in anticipation of possible talks, with transport disrupted and the city's government quarter and adjacent commercial centre all but shut down.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards on Wednesday said they forced two ships to the Iranian shore from the Strait of Hormuz.
The US military's Central Command said, prior to Thursday's announcement, that its forces blockading Iran's ports had so far "directed 31 vessels to turn around or return to port".
After agreeing the ceasefire with Iran, the United States helped broker a truce between Israel and Lebanon, including Hezbollah.
Despite the declared truce, Israeli strikes killed five more people on Wednesday, Lebanese media said.
Israel and Lebanon will hold a second round of talks in Washington on Thursday, during which Beirut will request a one-month extension of the ceasefire during the meeting, according to a Lebanese official.
Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed more than 2,450 people since the start of the war, according to Lebanese authorities.

The US defends Donald Trump after backlash over a repost, reiterating his view of India as a great country and valued partner.

India is a great country: Trump after controversial social media repost

The US defends Donald Trump after backlash over a repost, reiterating his view of India as a great country and valued partner.

The US on Thursday sought to control the damage done by a controversial social media repost by US President Donald Trump, putting out a message that the American leader believes India is a "great" country led by a "good friend of mine".
The President has said "India is a great country with a very good friend of mine at the top", the spokesperson of the US embassy said.
The spokesperson's statement came in response to queries from the Indian media about the controversy created by Trump reposting on social media comments by radio show host Michael Savage that referred to India, China and some other countries as "hellholes".
The spokesperson did not specify where and when Trump made the remarks that India is a great country.
Savage had made the comments in the context of a case in the US supreme court challenging birthright citizenship.
When asked about about the controversy, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: "We have seen some reports. That is where I leave it."&nbsp;

Donald Trump alleged that Iran repeatedly violated the ceasefire as fresh talks in Pakistan faced uncertainty. With JD Vance set to lead a US delegation, tensions remain high amid stalled diplomacy and fears of renewed conflict.

Trump says Iran violated truce as doubt surrounds peace talks

Donald Trump alleged that Iran repeatedly violated the ceasefire as fresh talks in Pakistan faced uncertainty. With JD Vance set to lead a US delegation, tensions remain high amid stalled diplomacy and fears of renewed conflict.

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday accused Iran of having repeatedly violated a temporary truce due to expire soon, with new peace talks mired in doubt after Tehran said it had not yet sent a delegation.
The US leader also touted Washington's strong negotiating position, even as uncertainty grew over a push to stop open conflict from resuming, with the two-week ceasefire set to end by Wednesday.
"Iran has Violated the Cease Fire numerous times!" Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform, without elaborating.
A US delegation led by Vice President JD Vance was expected to leave soon for Islamabad, which earlier this month hosted a first round of talks that ended without a deal.
Since those marathon talks Trump has announced a blockade of Iranian ports, while Tehran has closed the Strait of Hormuz again, refusing to send officials for a new round of negotiations that were initially expected on Monday.
"So far, no delegation from Iran has departed for Islamabad, Pakistan," Iranian state TV said on Tuesday, dismissing reports suggesting otherwise.
Both sides have accused the other of ceasefire breaches, with the US leader saying Iran fired on ships in the crucial trade route it has choked, and Tehran calling the US blockade and its seizure of a ship violations as well.
Despite Tehran so far shunning new talks, Trump expressed confidence he could secure an agreement that favored Washington.
"We're going to end up with a great deal. I think they have no choice... We're in a very, very strong negotiating position," Trump told broadcaster CNBC on Tuesday.
"Iran can get themselves on a very good footing if they make a deal."
Pakistan, meanwhile, continued its down-to-the wire mediation efforts to get both sides to its capital.
Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar urged the warring parties "to consider extending the ceasefire and to give dialogue and diplomacy a chance," according to a Pakistani foreign ministry statement.
Iranian officials, however, say they feel the Trump administration has not acted in good faith in negotiations and has refused to back down from what they called excessive demands.
Its parliament speaker said the country would not accept talks "under the shadow of threats" from the US leader, and would "show new cards on the battlefield" if the conflict resumed.
 - 'Bombs start' -
Residents in the Iranian capital who spoke to Paris-based AFP journalists say life has only got worse despite the truce, squeezed by the government and the war's impact.
"This cursed ceasefire has broken us. There is no light at the end of the tunnel," said Saghar, 39.
"The situation is terrible. I don't know anyone around me who is doing well."
The truce theoretically ends overnight Tuesday, though in comments to Bloomberg, Trump said the end was a day later, on Wednesday evening Washington time, and that it was "highly unlikely" he would extend it.
Trump told PBS News that Iran was "supposed to be there" at the talks in Pakistan.
He warned that if the ceasefire expired "then lots of bombs start going off."
He also said the US blockade of Iran's ports would not end until there was a deal.
The US Defense Department said Tuesday that its forces intercepted and boarded a "stateless sanctioned" vessel as part of Washington's efforts against networks that provide support to Iran.
AFP has identified the vessel as one affiliated with Iranian activity.
Experts said Iran's noncommittal public stance was part of a bid to put pressure on Washington.
"The current standoff between the United States and Iran is no longer a clash of capabilities but rather a struggle of political endurance and bargaining leverage," Daniel Byman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies wrote in a commentary.
Despite the ongoing uncertainty, oil prices fell on Tuesday while stocks rose on lingering hopes for a deal to end the conflict.
 - Tight security -
In Islamabad, heavily armed police and soldiers on Tuesday secured the city's government quarter, which was virtually shut down.
That included the Serena hotel, which hosted the last round of negotiations and where guests had been asked to vacate the premises in recent days.
The rest of the city also saw a beefed-up police presence, with offices, businesses and schools braced for shutdown orders.
In another arena in the war, Israel and Lebanon, which have no diplomatic relations, will hold fresh talks in Washington on Thursday, a State Department official told AFP.
A separate 10-day ceasefire was agreed between the two nations on Friday and included Hezbollah, whose rocket fire in support of Iran drew Lebanon into the wider Middle East conflict.
Sporadic violence has continued and Israel's military warned civilians against returning to dozens of villages in southern Lebanon, claiming Hezbollah's activities were violating the truce.
Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed at least 2,387 people since the start of the war, a Lebanese government body said in its latest toll.

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