New York, April 20 (IANS) US President Donald Trump said that US forces have intercepted and taken custody of an Iranian-flagged cargo ship that tried to bypass its blockade in the Gulf of Oman.”Today, an Iranian-flagged cargo ship named TOUSKA, nearly 900 feet long and weighing almost as much as an aircraft carrier, tried to get past our Naval Blockade, and it did not go well for them,” Trump wrote in a post on his social media Truth Social.A US destroyer intercepted the TOUSKA in the Gulf of O…
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New Delhi, April 14 (IANS) Pakistan’s benchmark KSE-100 Index witnessed sharp volatility this week, plunging in early trade on Monday after US-Iran talks failed to yield a breakthrough, before staging a strong rebound a day later on hopes of renewed diplomacy.The index tumbled nearly 4,800 points within minutes of the market opening on Monday — reflecting panic selling across sectors.During early trade on the same day, the gauge was trading at 162,396.21, down 4,795.16 points, or 2.87 per cen…
United Nations, April 14 (IANS) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed optimism for the negotiations between the US and Iran even though the round over the weekend ended in a stalemate, and called it “a positive and meaningful step”.“Given the deeply rooted differences, an agreement cannot be reached overnight, and the Secretary-General calls on the talks to continue constructively for an agreement to be reached”, his Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Monday.“While no ag…
Washington, April 14 (IANS) US Vice President JD Vance said negotiations with Iran had made “a lot of progress” but fell short of a deal, with Washington holding firm on key demands, including removal of enriched uranium and verifiable limits on Tehran’s nuclear programme.In an interview with Fox News, Vance said the talks — held at a high level in Pakistan — clarified both areas of flexibility and firm US “red lines”.“I wouldn’t just say that things went wrong. I also think thin…
Washington, April 13 (IANS) Following the conclusion of high-stakes talks between the United States and Iran without any breakthrough, Tara Chand, President of the Baloch American Congress, raised concerns over the choice of Pakistan as the venue, describing it as a “troubled and dishonest” country and questioning the credibility of hosting sensitive peace negotiations there.He argued that Pakistan lacks the necessary credibility and global standing to mediate such talks.Taking to his social…
Washington, April 12 (IANS) The United States is engaged in high-level, face-to-face trilateral talks with Pakistan and Iran in Islamabad, even as President Donald Trump asserted that Washington had already secured a strategic victory regardless of the outcome.The meeting in Islamabad stretched over for “15 hours and counting!” according to a senior White House official when last reported several hours ago.The official said the talks involve a core US delegation led by Vice President JD Vanc…
Washington, April 9 (IANS) The White House used Pakistan as a primary channel to reach Iran on a temporary ceasefire, underscoring Islamabad’s pivotal yet contested role in sensitive back-channel diplomacy, the Financial Times, London, reported.For weeks, the Trump administration leaned on Islamabad to persuade Tehran to accept a pause in fighting tied to reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Pakistan’s positioning as a Muslim-majority neighbour was seen as key to making the US-backed proposal mor…
Washington, April 7 (IANS) U.S. Ambassador to India Sergio Gor met Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to advance bilateral trade and technology ties ahead of a scheduled White House dinner with President Donald Trump at the White House, signalling fresh momentum in the U.S.-India partnership. “Productive meeting with Secretary @HowardLutnick on the U.S.-India commercial roadmap,” Gor said.“We discussed a new MoU connecting India’s AI scale with the American AI ecosystem, strong Indian par…
Washington, April 7 (IANS) Iran has until 8 p.m. Eastern Time (5.30 am IST Wednesday) to “make a deal” with the United States, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told IANS on Tuesday, underscoring a hard deadline set by President Donald Trump amid escalating tensions. “The Iranian regime has until 8 PM Eastern Time to meet the moment and make a deal with the United States. Only the President knows where things stand and what he will do,” Leavitt told IANS.Her remarks come as Tr…
Washington, April 7 (IANS) The United States and India signalled fresh momentum in their strategic partnership ahead of a scheduled White House dinner hosted by President Donald Trump for US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor, even as a series of high-level meetings in Washington underscored growing alignment on security and political priorities.The White House said the President is scheduled to participate in a dinner with the US Ambassador to India. Gor is currently in the American Capital, holdin…