Middle East Conflict: Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif Says His Nation Is Ready To Facilitate Talks To End Iran War
Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif announced Tuesday that Islamabad is prepared to host 'meaningful and conclusive' talks, as both sides signal a potential, albeit fragile, opening for diplomacy despite continued heavy fighting across the region.
Islamabad, March 25: Pakistan’s prime minister says his country is ready to “facilitate meaningful and conclusive talks” to end the Iran war. Pakistan is one of the countries pushing diplomatically for talks between Iran and the United States after President Donald Trump said Monday there were ongoing negotiations between Washington and Tehran. Trump extended his deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, saying the U.S. will hold off striking Iranian power plants for five more days to allow U.S. envoys to hold talks with a “respected” Iranian leader.
Iranian officials said Trump had backed down “following Iran’s firm warning.” Meanwhile, airstrikes battered Iran and Iranian missiles and drones targeted Israel’s Tel Aviv and sites across the Mideast on Tuesday. Middle East Conflict: Iran Targets Israel, Gulf States As Strikes Hit Tehran Amid Mixed Signals Over Talks To End War.
Here is The Latest:
Woman Killed by Shrapnel in Northern Israel Is the War’s First Israeli Death by Fire From Lebanon
Paramedics from Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue services said the woman was found lying in a ditch by the side of a road with critical wounds, south of the town of Safed, and was declared dead shortly after. Medics said two more people were lightly injured in the attack. Sirens rang out across northern Israel almost nonstop for hours on Tuesday warning of drones and rockets fired from Lebanon.
The Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon has been carrying out attacks against Israel in support of Iran from the early days of the war, with Israel striking across Lebanon. Also Tuesday evening, sirens rang out across parts of the northern Israel after the military warned of another wave of incoming missiles from Iran. Middle East Conflict: Iran Threatens World Tourism Sites, Says It Is Still Building Missiles Nearly 3 Weeks Into War.
France’s Armed Forces Chief Says the US Is ‘Less and Less Predictable’ as an Ally
Gen. Fabien Mandon made the comments Tuesday at a Paris defense and security forum. The French military chief described France’s relationship with the U.S. as “very strong” but lamented that “they have just decided to intervene in the Near and Middle East without notifying us.” “We acted immediately, surprised by an American ally, who remains an ally, but who is less and less predictable and doesn’t even bother to inform us when it decides to engage in military operations. This affects our security. This affects our interests,” he said.
French President Emmanuel Macron, the commander of chief of France’s armed forces, dispatched the nuclear-powered Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier and other naval warships to the Mediterranean, and deployed aircraft and other assets, to defend France’s interests and allies in the region and the Persian Gulf after the launch of the U.S.- Israeli war with Iran.
Turkey Warns Against ‘Sabotage’ of Diplomatic Efforts by Israel
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan insisted that the war must be brought to an end through dialogue and serious negotiations but suggested that Israel’s position was undermining diplomacy. “Israel’s uncompromising, maximalist, radical stance must not be allowed to sabotage diplomatic solutions,” Erdogan, a consistent and outspoken critic of Israel, said in a televised address. “No country that values world peace and stability should continue to add fuel to the fire that Israel has unjustly ignited in our region.”
White House Describes Possibility of Iran Talks as a ‘Fluid Situation’
When asked about the possibility of the U.S. participating in talks in Pakistan, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement that “these are sensitive diplomatic discussions and the U.S. will not negotiate through the press.” “This is a fluid situation, and speculation about meetings should not be deemed as final until they are formally announced by the White House,” Leavitt said.
China Calls for Seizing ‘Every Opportunity and Window’ for Peace in the Mideast
Amid regional efforts to revive talks between the U.S. and Iran, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a phone call with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi on Tuesday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said. “Wang called on all parties to seize every opportunity and window for peace and start peace talks as soon as possible,” ministry spokesman Lin Jian said.
Missiles Intercepted Over Lebanon
It was unclear what the intended target of the missiles was or how they had been intercepted. The Lebanese military lacks air defenses. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said that explosions heard north of Beirut in the Keserwan district were caused by interceptor missiles, and that missiles fell in the town of Faitroun and in the mountain village of Baskinta.
In the Sahel Alma area on the coast north of Beirut, Associated Press journalists saw minor damage to buildings and a wall. No casualties were reported.
US Stocks Give Back Some of the Rally Sparked by Trump’s Talk of Negotiations With Iran
With airstrikes still battering Iran and missiles still targeting sites across the Middle East, some of the optimism that sent stocks rallying the day before drained out of Wall Street on Tuesday. Oil prices got back to rising, and U.S. stocks are returning some of their gains.
The price for a barrel of Brent crude oil rose 2.9% to $102.84, a day after slumping more than 10%. The main measure of the U.S. stock market, the S&P 500, fell 0.4% to give back more than a third of its climb from the day before. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 127 points, or 0.3%, as of 10:30 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.8% lower.
The optimism at the week’s start came after President Donald Trump raised hopes that the war could end soon when he said the United States and Iran held productive talks “regarding a complete and total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East.” His announcement caused stocks to flip immediately from losses to gains. But Iran has denied such talks are underway, and attacks continued Tuesday.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 25, 2026 12:20 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).