Diplomats from regional powers meet in Pakistan to seek war's end
apnews.com • • world
Key Points:
- Top diplomats from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt met in Islamabad, Pakistan, to discuss ending the Middle East conflict, but progress was limited as the U.S. and Israel continued strikes on Iran and Iran responded with missile and drone attacks.
- The U.S. and Israel did not participate in the talks, and Iran dismissed them as a cover while warning against a U.S. ground invasion, threatening retaliation against American troops and regional allies.
- Iran eased some restrictions on commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz but rejected the U.S. 15-point peace framework, instead reportedly proposing its own five-point plan including reparations and sovereignty over the strait.
- Iran's Revolutionary Guard threatened to target Israeli and American universities in the region unless Israel stops striking Iranian universities and the U.S. condemns these attacks by a specified deadline.
- The Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen entered the conflict by launching missiles toward Israeli military sites, raising concerns about further destabilization of maritime security and oil shipping routes in the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb strait.
