Pakistan urges restraint as US-Iran strikes resume after ceasefire collapse

Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated on Wednesday that renewed conflict between the United States and Iran is in no one's interest. The ministry urged all parties to honor commitments under the Islamabad memorandum of understanding brokered in April.

The statement described the memorandum as an enduring foundation for understanding, mutual respect, and shared prosperity for the region and beyond. A fragile ceasefire that had held for nearly three weeks collapsed into a new wave of strikes and counterstrikes.

UN reports fragile security in southern Lebanon The UN Interim Force in Lebanon stated on Thursday that violence has subsided since late June but the security situation in southern Lebanon remains fragile.

US-Iran technical talks continue An unnamed US official told Reuters that the United States remains committed to finding a resolution with Iran and that technical talks are continuing. The same official noted that the United States and Iran have exchanged strikes this week, with the United States increasing the scope and intensity of its attacks since Tuesday evening.

Senator calls for funding cutoff Democratic Senator Ed Markey wrote on X that Congress already voted on a bipartisan basis last month to end unapproved military operations. He stated that if the president will not stop the strikes, Congress must cut off funding.

Hormuz claims CENTCOM posted on X that Iranian state media claims about transit through the Strait of Hormuz are false and that Iran does not control the waterway. The post added that the US military has secured transit of 380 million barrels of oil since May.