US-Iran negotiations underway as fresh strikes deepen regional conflict, Pakistan says
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "US-Iran negotiations underway as fresh strikes deepen regional conflict, Pakistan says")
A man inspects the damage at the site of a strike in Bartalla in the northern Iraqi Nineveh province on July 29, 2026. US-Saudi strikes on Iraq on July 29 killed at least 20 members of a former paramilitary alliance that includes pro-Iran groups, the alliance said. Photograph: (AFP)
The US-Iran conflict widened as fresh strikes resumed, with Saudi Arabia joining US forces in targeting militant groups in Iraq and Egypt, while Pakistan said negotiations were ongoing.
Pakistan on Thursday, July 30, said talks between Iran and the United States were continuing as both sides exchanged fresh strikes after a brief pause in hostilities. The renewed fighting has widened the regional conflict, with Saudi Arabia joining US forces in strikes against militant groups in Iraq and Egypt.
"Negotiations between parties are ongoing, particularly on (the) Strait of Hormuz and to de-escalate," Pakistani foreign ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi told reporters in Islamabad.
Pakistan is doing "utmost to bring all parties back" to technical talks under the agreement, he added.
The US Central Command, CENTCOM, said on Wednesday that it had launched "a heavy wave of strikes against Iran" in response to a missile attack on US forces in Jordan.
Iran's state news agency IRNA reported strikes in several cities in southwestern Khuzestan province and on Qeshm island in the Gulf. According to the agency, citing provincial authorities, areas near Abadan, Shadegan, Arvandkenar and Ahvaz in Khuzestan were hit.
Trending Stories
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
Jordan said on Thursday morning that it had intercepted Iranian missiles for the second straight day. Kuwait also reported that an Iranian strike hit a building belonging to a Chinese company and killed one person.
The latest strikes came after a brief pause in the fighting that was aimed at creating momentum for diplomatic negotiations.
US President Donald Trump had vowed to hit Iran "hard" following Tehran's earlier attack on Jordan, which marked its first such attack in the region in days.
Islamabad has played a mediating role in the conflict. It helped Iran and the United States reach an initial truce in April and later facilitated a 14-point memorandum of understanding in June. However, the agreement eventually collapsed over the issue of control of the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.
The latest escalation came after a short halt in fighting that followed 13 consecutive days of US strikes on Iran. Tehran subsequently announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, while Washington reinstated its naval blockade of Iran.
