Pakistan Says It Remains Engaged with US, Iran on Talks to End Conflict

Vessels near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, September 2, 2026. (Reuters)
Vessels near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, September 2, 2026. (Reuters)
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Pakistan Says It Remains Engaged with US, Iran on Talks to End Conflict

Vessels near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, September 2, 2026. (Reuters)
Vessels near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, September 2, 2026. (Reuters)

Pakistan is engaged with the US and Iran on talks to end their conflict ‌and ‌is positive that ‌the ⁠countries "will return to ⁠the table for dialogue", Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir ⁠Andrabi said at ‌a ‌regular media briefing ‌on Wednesday.

Pakistan's ‌Chief of Defense Forces Asim Munir's ‌visit to Tehran last month created "considerable ⁠momentum" ⁠on the issue of the Strait of Hormuz, he said.

Iran struck US interests around the Middle East on Wednesday, vowing "severe" consequences for renewed American attacks on the country.

The latest fighting over the Strait of Hormuz once again expanded to US military bases in the region and drew Gulf countries deeper into the six-month conflict.

US President Donald Trump had warned earlier of "much harder and higher" attacks if Iran retaliated to the US strikes which Iranian state media said had killed 11 people in the country's south and southwest.

The latest round of conflict began when Washington hit Iranian targets on Sunday, the first known strikes in several weeks, after which Tehran's forces targeted US troops in Jordan, and projectiles struck two oil tankers in unclaimed attacks.

More US strikes came on Tuesday, with Iranian state television reporting explosions in the country's south along the Hormuz strait and on an island in the Gulf, and that US forces hit an airport in the southern province of Kerman.

After six months of war, the foes remain at an impasse, with Iran keeping the Strait of Hormuz closed and the United States persisting with a counter-blockade of Iranian ports.

The Middle East war began in late February with US-Israeli attacks on Iran that killed its supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

A fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran collapsed after attacks on commercial ships in the Hormuz strait, through which one-fifth of world oil supplies flowed before the war.



Trump in Address to World Leaders at UN Defends His Decision to Start War Against Iran

US President Donald Trump speaks during the 81st United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, US, September 22, 2026. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/Pool via REUTERS
US President Donald Trump speaks during the 81st United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, US, September 22, 2026. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/Pool via REUTERS
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Trump in Address to World Leaders at UN Defends His Decision to Start War Against Iran

US President Donald Trump speaks during the 81st United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, US, September 22, 2026. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/Pool via REUTERS
US President Donald Trump speaks during the 81st United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, US, September 22, 2026. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/Pool via REUTERS

President Donald Trump returned to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday at and started his address ticking off progress — including adding private sector jobs, stemming illegal migration and curbing crime before turning to a fulsome defense of his decision to start a war with Iran.

Trump accused Iran of stalling to make a deal to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz and negotiate an endgame to the war until after the midterm elections in the United States

“I gave absolutely no credence and will not give credence to the election when it comes to Iran," Trump said. "It doesn’t even enter my mind.”

Iran's delegation walked out as Trump railed against Tehran.

As he arrived at the UN, Trump briefly spoke to reporters, telling them it was an honor to address the world body before his attention suddenly shifted to his resentments with the news media.

Trump over the weekend announced a White House ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico, claiming that their coverage of his presidency was biased. The news outlets have filed a lawsuit to restore their access to White House grounds. Trump snapped at a CNN reporter in the UN scrum.

“I’m surprised that CNN is here covering me,” Trump said. “You shouldn’t be here."

After his speech to the annual gathering of world leaders, Trump is expected to hold talks with new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and a more informal meeting with Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodríguez, according to the White House.

The visit to the UN comes when Trump's foreign policy approach — particularly his decision to start a war with Iran — has become a drag on his fellow Republicans' hopes of retaining control of both chambers of Congress during the coming midterm elections. Nevertheless, Trump is making the case in his address that the world is better off for his leadership.

“As president of the most extraordinary nation in history," Trump said. "I have no interest in leaving dangers to grow for another day. I do not believe in letting problems fester."

Iran war to loom large In last year's address at the UN, Trump claimed the US had “demolished” Iran's nuclear capabilities after he ordered the June 2025 bombardment of three key facilities.

He returned to the General Assembly nearing the seven-month mark of a new war against Iran that he insists is necessary to address a nuclear threat posed by Iran.


Iran Ready to Reopen Strait of Hormuz if US Eases Military Pressure, Lifts Blockade

FILE PHOTO: Vessels near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, August 31, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Vessels near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, August 31, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo
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Iran Ready to Reopen Strait of Hormuz if US Eases Military Pressure, Lifts Blockade

FILE PHOTO: Vessels near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, August 31, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Vessels near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, August 31, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo

Iran can reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days if the United States eases military pressure and lifts its blockade on Iranian ports, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Tuesday.

On Sunday, Iran's military central command said it was informed the US was preparing to restart military operations with the support of regional countries, and warned this would lead ⁠to Tehran's retaliation "without ⁠limitations and considerations.”

"The US needs to announce that it wants to resolve the issue diplomatically, make that official, and then agree on a timeline for how the process will move forward,” the senior Iranian official ⁠said, adding the Iranian delegation to the United Nations General Assembly is in New York and has full authority to revive diplomacy with the United States.

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian, who left Tehran for New York on Tuesday morning, will not meet US President Donald Trump at the UN headquarters in New York, the official told Reuters.

The Iranian official said ⁠details ⁠on an agreement to end hostilities with Washington can be discussed in New York via mediators, explaining that Tehran's proposal was delivered to the US through mediators on September 16.

"The UN General Assembly is a golden opportunity for the US to return to diplomacy," the official said, adding that Tehran would welcome a revival of diplomacy if Washington takes tangible steps.


Student Opens Fire Outside School in Türkiye, 11 Pupils Wounded

This handout photograph taken and released on September 22,2026 by Turkish news agency DHA (Demiroren News Agency) shows ambulances and police officers waiting in front of a high school outside which a gunman opened fire and was detained shortly afterwards, in Turgutlu, an area west of the resort city of Izmir. (Photo by Handout / DHA (Demiroren News Agency) / AFP)
This handout photograph taken and released on September 22,2026 by Turkish news agency DHA (Demiroren News Agency) shows ambulances and police officers waiting in front of a high school outside which a gunman opened fire and was detained shortly afterwards, in Turgutlu, an area west of the resort city of Izmir. (Photo by Handout / DHA (Demiroren News Agency) / AFP)
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Student Opens Fire Outside School in Türkiye, 11 Pupils Wounded

This handout photograph taken and released on September 22,2026 by Turkish news agency DHA (Demiroren News Agency) shows ambulances and police officers waiting in front of a high school outside which a gunman opened fire and was detained shortly afterwards, in Turgutlu, an area west of the resort city of Izmir. (Photo by Handout / DHA (Demiroren News Agency) / AFP)
This handout photograph taken and released on September 22,2026 by Turkish news agency DHA (Demiroren News Agency) shows ambulances and police officers waiting in front of a high school outside which a gunman opened fire and was detained shortly afterwards, in Turgutlu, an area west of the resort city of Izmir. (Photo by Handout / DHA (Demiroren News Agency) / AFP)

A student opened fire in front of their high school in Türkiye's western province of Manisa early on Tuesday, wounding at least 11 other pupils, Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said.

Two of the wounded were in a critical condition, Gurleksaid. The assailant was caught and their mother, father, and grandfather — who owned the weapon used in the attack —have been detained, the minister added.

"When the security of our children is the issue, it is not possible for any ⁠negligence, any irresponsibility ⁠to be overlooked," the minister said on X, according to Reuters.

"The circumstances under which the child obtained the gun used in the attack, the conditions of the weapon's storage, the parents' obligations regarding care and supervision, and allegations of bullying prior to the incident ⁠are being investigated thoroughly and from multiple angles," Gurlek added.

 

This handout photograph taken and released on September 22,2026 by Turkish news agency DHA (Demiroren News Agency) shows ambulances and police officers waiting in front of a high school outside which a gunman opened fire, and was detained shortly afterwards, in Turgutlu, an area west of the resort city of Izmir. (Photo by Handout / DHA (Demiroren News Agency) / AFP)

Images and video posted online showed a male figure walking on a street near the school with a rifle in his hands. He was then seen running back from the same street.

Video outside the school showed police pushing away families and others outside the premises.

The motive for the attack was not immediately clear.

The local governor's office has said ⁠the ⁠attack took place at around 8:00 a.m. (0500 GMT) at the Inci Uzmez Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School in the Turgutlu district.

Two deadly school shootings in April caused outrage in Türkiye and prompted officials to bring innew security measures for the 2026-2027 academic year, including tighter gun controls.

Before then, the country had not had a history of such attacks.