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Iran’s speaker says US negotiations have progressed but far from final deal

Islamaad: The crucial Strait of Hormuz will not reopen until the United States lifts its naval blockade on Iranian ports, Tehran said, as a top official warned that a final peace deal remained “far” off.

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of the Iranian parliament, said in a televised address that there has been “progress” in talks with Washington “but there are many gaps and some fundamental points remain.”

“We are still far from the final discussion,” said Ghalibaf, one of Tehran’s negotiators in the talks aimed at ending the war launched by Israel and the United States against the Islamic Republic.

A two-week ceasefire is set to end on Wednesday unless it is renewed.

US President Donald Trump said meanwhile that “very good conversations” were going on with Iran but warned Tehran against trying to “blackmail” the United States.

On Friday, Tehran had declared the Strait of Hormuz, which usually carries a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas, open after a ceasefire was agreed in Israel’s war with Iran’s ally Hezbollah in Lebanon.

This prompted elation in global markets and sent oil prices plunging, but with Trump insisting the blockade of Iranian ports would continue until a deal is struck to end the wider war, Tehran said it was shuttering the strait once more.

“If America does not lift the blockade, traffic in the Strait of Hormuz will definitely be limited,” Ghalibaf said.

Iran’s supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who has yet to be seen since taking power, said meanwhile in a written message that Iran’s navy “stands ready” to defeat the United States.

Trump, speaking to reporters at a White House event, accused Iran of getting “a little cute” with its recent moves and warned Tehran not to try to “blackmail” Washington with its flip-flopping on the Strait of Hormuz.

“We have very good conversations going on,” the president said, adding that the United States was “taking a tough stand.”

‘Targeted’

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned that any attempt to pass through the strait without permission “will be considered cooperation with the enemy, and the offending vessel will be targeted.”

A handful of oil and gas tankers crossed the strait early on Saturday during the brief reopening, tracking data showed, but others retreated and tracking platforms showed hardly any vessels crossing the waterway by the late afternoon.

A UK maritime security agency said the Revolutionary Guards fired at one tanker, while security intelligence firm Vanguard Tech reported the force had threatened to “destroy” an empty cruise ship that was fleeing the Gulf.

In a third incident, the UK agency said it received a report of a vessel “being hit by an unknown projectile which caused damage” to shipping containers but no fire.

The Indian foreign ministry said it had summoned the Iranian ambassador in New Delhi to lodge a protest over a “shooting incident” involving two Indian-flagged ships in the strait.

French UN peacekeeper killed

On the diplomatic front, Egypt, which has been involved in mediation efforts along with Pakistan, appeared optimistic on Saturday with Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty saying Cairo and Islamabad hoped to secure a final agreement “in the coming days.”

Two major sticking points in the talks have been Iran’s stockpile of near-weapons-grade enriched uranium and the future of the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump declared Friday that Iran had agreed to hand over its 440 or so kilograms of enriched uranium. “We’re going to get it by going in with Iran, with lots of excavators,” he said.

Iran’s foreign ministry has said the stockpile, thought to be buried deep under rubble from US bombing in last June’s 12-day war, was “not going to be transferred anywhere” and surrendering it “to the US has never been raised in negotiations.”

The Middle East war began on February 28 with a massive wave of US-Israeli surprise attacks on Iran, despite Washington and Tehran being engaged in negotiations at the time.

The conflict rapidly spread across the region, with Iran targeting neighbouring Gulf countries and Hezbollah dragging Lebanon into the conflict by launching rockets at Israel.

A French soldier was killed and three others wounded in an ambush on Saturday on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon that French President Emmanuel Macron blamed on Hezbollah, an accusation the group denied.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the attack in a statement and said an initial assessment by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) found it was carried out by Hezbollah.

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Pakistani Students’ UK Visa Delays Raised by Azam Nazeer Tarar with British High Commissioner

Azam Nazeer Tarar with UK High Commissioner

ISLAMABAD: British High Commissioner Jane Marriott called on Federal Minister for Law & Justice Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar. The meeting discussed Pakistan-UK bilateral relations, matters of mutual interest and ways to further strengthen cooperation between the two countries.

During the meeting, the Federal Minister raised the issue of delays in UK visas for Pakistani students and conveyed the Government of Pakistan’s concern to the British High Commissioner.

Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar said that hundreds of Pakistani students were facing difficulties due to delays in visa processing, with a risk that the delays could result in the loss of their academic year. He stressed the need to remove obstacles faced by Pakistani students seeking education abroad and facilitate them in this regard.

The Federal Minister briefed the British High Commissioner that, on the directives of the Prime Minister, a committee under his chairmanship was working to improve the legal and institutional framework concerning Pakistani students studying abroad.

He further informed the High Commissioner that, on the Prime Minister’s directives, the committee had finalized its recommendations on the matter, and work was underway to further improve the legal and institutional framework for Pakistani students pursuing education abroad.

The Federal Minister said that the legal and institutional framework for Pakistani students seeking education abroad was being improved to develop an effective mechanism for addressing the issues faced by students.

British High Commissioner Jane Marriott assured the Federal Minister that the issue of delays in visas for Pakistani students would be addressed.

The meeting also discussed further strengthening educational linkages between Pakistan and the United Kingdom, as well as enhancing institutional cooperation and engagement between the two countries.

Minister of State for Law, Justice and Human Rights Barrister Aqeel Malik was also present during the meeting.

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Naqvi Sets September 30 Deadline for Completion of Islamabad Safe City Expansion

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, accompanied by Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry, visited the Islamabad Safe City Headquarters on Friday and chaired a special meeting to review progress on the Safe City Expansion Project, directing officials to complete the ambitious initiative by September 30.

During the briefing, officials informed the minister that overall work on the expansion project has reached 85 percent completion. Installation of the new surveillance network is also 85 percent complete, while 415 kilometres of optical fibre have been laid to support the upgraded system. Work on the data centre, cyber architecture, and cybersecurity infrastructure has also reached approximately 80 percent completion.

Expressing satisfaction over the pace of work, Naqvi stressed that the remaining tasks must be completed within the stipulated timeframe.

He said the government’s vision is to transform the Islamabad Safe City into a modern, smart, and world-class institution comparable to those in developed countries.

The interior minister said the technologically advanced Safe City system would significantly strengthen public safety through enhanced surveillance, effective monitoring, and rapid emergency response capabilities.

He noted that the project would play a vital role in improving law enforcement efficiency and ensuring better security for residents of the federal capital.

Naqvi also assigned officials the task of completing the state-of-the-art Fusion Centre within the next three months, describing it as a critical component of the upgraded Safe City network.

He further directed the relevant authorities to finalise the Safe City Bill at the earliest and present it before the National Assembly without delay to provide the legal framework necessary for the project’s long-term operation and expansion.

The meeting was attended by the Federal Secretary for Interior, the Director General of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), senior Safe City officials, and other relevant officers, who briefed the minister on the progress and future roadmap of the expansion project.

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PM Shehbaz, high-level delegation perform Umrah; pray for country’s progress

MAKKAH AL-MUKARRAMAH: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, along with his high-level delegation, performed Umrah here on Friday.

He was accompanied by his delegation including Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, federal ministers Khawaja Muhammad Asif and Attaullah Tarar, and Special Assistant to PM Tariq Fatemi.

The door of Khana Kaaba was opened specially for the prime minister and his delegation.

Following the completion of the Umrah rituals, the prime minister, field marshal, and other members of the Pakistani delegation offered special prayers for the progress and prosperity of the country, the safety and unity of the Muslim Ummah, and for regional and global peace.

The prime minister arrived in Jeddah on Thursday evening for a three-day visit to Saudi Arabia at the invitation of Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

Besides meeting with his Saudi counterpart, he will also pay a visit to the Roze-e-Rasool (PBUH) in Madinah.