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Islamabad Urges Tehran's Cooperation over the Killing of 8 Pakistani Nationals in Southeastern Iran

This is a locator map for Pakistan with its capital, Islamabad, and the Kashmir region. (AP Photo)
This is a locator map for Pakistan with its capital, Islamabad, and the Kashmir region. (AP Photo)
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Islamabad Urges Tehran's Cooperation over the Killing of 8 Pakistani Nationals in Southeastern Iran

This is a locator map for Pakistan with its capital, Islamabad, and the Kashmir region. (AP Photo)
This is a locator map for Pakistan with its capital, Islamabad, and the Kashmir region. (AP Photo)

Islamabad has sought Tehran's “full cooperation” over the killing of eight Pakistani nationals in restive southeastern Iran, officials said Monday.

The Pakistani foreign ministry said in a statement the killing happened Saturday in Mehrestan County in Sistan and Baluchistan province, about 230 kilometers (142 miles) from the Pakistan-Iran border, urging a thorough investigation, The Associated Press said.

Pakistan’s Ambassador to Iran, Muhammad Mudassir, wrote on X that the eight were laborers and that Islamabad and Tehran were working on facilitating the repatriation of the bodies.

There has been no immediate claim of responsibility.

The Baluch regions across Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan have faced an insurgency by Baluch nationalists seeking independence for more than two decades.

In Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan, the Baloch Liberation Army, designated a terrorist group by the United States in 2019, often targets security forces and civilians.

Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned on Monday the killings and extended condolences to the Pakistani people and government.

“Iran will spare no effort in identifying the perpetrators and masterminds behind this atrocity and ensuring justice is duly served,” the ministry said in a statement.

Esmail Baqaei, the spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the killing “an act of terrorism” and "a criminal act which is fundamentally incompatible with all Islamic principles and legal and humanitarian norms”.

HalVash, an advocacy group for the Baluch people of Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan, reported that unknown gunmen opened fire on eight Pakistani citizens who ran a family auto repair business in the city. This couldn’t be independently verified.

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World

Explosive Device Kills and Injures Scores on Bus in Southwestern Colombia

The covered body of a victim lies among vehicles damaged in an attack on the Pan-American Highway in Cajibio, Colombia, Saturday, April 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Santiago Saldarriaga)
The covered body of a victim lies among vehicles damaged in an attack on the Pan-American Highway in Cajibio, Colombia, Saturday, April 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Santiago Saldarriaga)
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Explosive Device Kills and Injures Scores on Bus in Southwestern Colombia

The covered body of a victim lies among vehicles damaged in an attack on the Pan-American Highway in Cajibio, Colombia, Saturday, April 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Santiago Saldarriaga)
The covered body of a victim lies among vehicles damaged in an attack on the Pan-American Highway in Cajibio, Colombia, Saturday, April 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Santiago Saldarriaga)

An explosive device killed 13 people traveling on a bus in southwestern Colombia on Saturday, an attack the country's army chief described as a “terrorist act" that also left at least 38 injured as violence linked to drug trafficking in the region escalates.

Octavio Guzmán, the governor of the region of Cauca, said on X that the device was set off while the bus was traveling along the Panamerican Highway in the municipality of Cajibio. Five children were among the injured, Cauca Health Secretary Carolina Camargo told Noticias Caracol, a TV news program.

Gen. Hugo López, commander of Colombia's Armed Forces, told a news conference that it was a “terrorist act" and blamed the network of a man known as “Iván Mordisco” — one of Colombia’s most wanted figures — and the Jaime Martínez faction. Both are dissidents of the now-defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia that operate in the region.

Neither Iván Mordisco nor the Jaime Martínez faction abide by the peace agreement signed with the state in 2016.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro condemned the attack on X, The Associated Press reported.

“Those who carried out the attack and killed seven civilians — and wounded 17 others — in Cajibío — many of them Indigenous people — are terrorists, fascists, and drug traffickers,” he wrote.

The attack is the latest in a spate of explosions that have attempted to target public infrastructure. At least 26 incidents have taken place in the past two days in southwestern Colombia, which López said has only affected civilians.

They included a shooting at a police station in the rural area of Jamundi, and an attack on a Civil Aviation radar facility in El Tambo, where authorities took down three explosives-laden drones earlier on Saturday. No one was hurt.

On Friday, two vehicles rigged with explosives were detonated near military units in Cali and Palmira, causing material damage.

The escalation of violence in that region — a territory contested by illegal armed groups linked to drug trafficking — prompted the mobilization of high-ranking officials on Saturday.

Led by Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez, the delegation that includes regional governors and local authorities, was meeting in Palmira when the deadly explosion occurred.

“These criminals seek to instill fear, but we will respond with firmness,” Sánchez said on X.

Meanwhile, Francisca Toro, governor of Valle del Cauca, has called upon the national government to provide “immediate support.” In a message on X, Toro called for a reinforcement of public security forces, enhanced intelligence operations and “decisive actions” against crime in the face of a “terrorist-level escalation.”

According to authorities, Cauca and Valle del Cauca serve as a critical hub for illicit activities of illegal armed groups vying for control over sea and river access routes leading to the port of Buenaventura — a key transit point used to traffic drugs to Central America and Europe.

The government has also offered a reward of more than 1 million dollars for information leading to the capture of “Marlon,” who is identified as the leader of the region's dissident group. On Friday, local authorities offered more than $14,000 for information leading to the identification and location of those behind the attacks in Cali and Palmira.

World

Trump Says Shooting Won't 'Deter' Him from Iran War

President Donald Trump speaks in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House after an unspecified threat at the annual White House Correspondents' Association Dinner in Washington, Saturday, April 25, 2026, as acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI director Kash Patel listen. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
President Donald Trump speaks in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House after an unspecified threat at the annual White House Correspondents' Association Dinner in Washington, Saturday, April 25, 2026, as acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI director Kash Patel listen. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
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Trump Says Shooting Won't 'Deter' Him from Iran War

President Donald Trump speaks in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House after an unspecified threat at the annual White House Correspondents' Association Dinner in Washington, Saturday, April 25, 2026, as acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI director Kash Patel listen. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
President Donald Trump speaks in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House after an unspecified threat at the annual White House Correspondents' Association Dinner in Washington, Saturday, April 25, 2026, as acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI director Kash Patel listen. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

US President Donald Trump said Saturday a shooting at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner would not deter him from the Iran war, although he believed the incident was unlikely linked to the conflict.

"It's not going to deter me from winning the war in Iran. I don't know if that had anything to do with it, I really don't think so, based on what we know," Trump told reporters in a briefing at the White House after the shocking security incident.

Trump had earlier said, however, that "you never know" if it could be linked to the Iran war, and said investigators were working on the motive of the shooter whom he described as a "lone wolf."

The US leader earlier Saturday canceled his envoys' trip to Pakistan for peace talks with Iran, after being unimpressed with Tehran's negotiating position following nearly two months of war.
The shooting suspect accused of storming the gala will be arraigned in the US capital on Monday, the federal prosecutor said.

The suspect -- who exchanged gunfire with Secret Service agents but was not shot himself -- will appear before a US district judge on Monday.

According to US Attorney Jeanine Piro, the suspect will be charged with using a firearm during a crime of violence, and assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon.

World

Iran President Calls on People to Save Energy

Iranians shop in the Tajrish bazaar in Tehran, Iran, 25 April 2026. (EPA)
Iranians shop in the Tajrish bazaar in Tehran, Iran, 25 April 2026. (EPA)
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Iran President Calls on People to Save Energy

Iranians shop in the Tajrish bazaar in Tehran, Iran, 25 April 2026. (EPA)
Iranians shop in the Tajrish bazaar in Tehran, Iran, 25 April 2026. (EPA)

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called on his people Saturday to conserve electricity, warning that while there were no shortages at present, the US and Israel aimed to sow "dissatisfaction" among the Iranian people.

"We have asked our dear people, who are now ready and present on the ground, a simple request. And that is to reduce their own electricity and energy consumption," the president said on state TV.

"We do not need people to sacrifice for the time being, but we do need to control consumption. Instead of 10 lights, two lights should be turned on in the house -- what is wrong with that?" he added.

Despite the US-Israeli bombing campaign against Iran, there have been no reported power cuts in Tehran in recent days.

Pezeshkian accused Iran's enemies of hitting infrastructure and imposing a blockade "so that the current satisfaction turns into dissatisfaction".

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to wipe out Iran's power infrastructure, but has so far not followed through.

Even before the current war with the United States and Israel, however, Iran suffered frequent power outages during the winter and summer peaks in demand.

According to the International Energy Agency, Iran generates nearly four-fifths of its electricity from burning natural gas, a resource in which it is self-sufficient thanks to vast gas fields.

It supplements this with low-quality heavy fuel oil, known as mazout, used at older power stations.

Nevertheless, ageing infrastructure, a lack of investment and the impact of fierce international sanctions that cut off access to technology and investment have left the electricity grid unable to cope with demand.

Pezeshkian has previously launched several public awareness campaigns to reduce energy use.