Washington has awarded a $488 million F-16 radar support contract that includes Pakistan among several operators. The move follows an earlier package focused on Pakistan’s F-16 fleet and continues existing defence sustainment cooperation.
Donald Trump offered unusually warm praise for Pakistan, Islamabad, the Prime Minister and the Field Marshal during a media exchange, saying Pakistan’s leadership remains engaged with the United States as Iran negotiations continue.
Iranian Ambassador Reza Amiri Moghadam praised Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Pakistan’s career diplomats for their role in facilitating, coordinating and preparing diplomatic talks.
UNICEF warns Afghanistan could lose 25,000+ female teachers and health workers by 2030, as restrictions on girls’ education and women’s work continue under Taliban rule.
Iran’s Abbas Araghchi is back in Islamabad within around 24 hours of leaving for Muscat, keeping Pakistan at the centre of high-stakes US-Iran diplomacy.
Trump has cancelled his representatives’ planned trip to Islamabad for talks with Iran, saying too much time was being spent on travel and that Tehran can contact Washington directly if it wants negotiations.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad, describing Pakistan as holding a significant place in Tehran’s foreign policy outlook while briefing Pakistan’s leadership on ceasefire developments, regional stability and bilateral cooperation.
Pete Hegseth has promised a historic review of the Afghanistan withdrawal, saying the department will examine the decisions that led to Abbey Gate, the Kabul evacuation and what he described as a wider loss of American deterrence after 2021.
Donald Trump said the U.S. will not use nuclear weapons in the war with Iran, insisting Tehran has already been badly weakened by conventional military force. He also signalled he is not interested in a rushed settlement, saying any agreement with Iran must be durable and lasting.
Levi Strauss has opened a new front in its sustainability strategy with a three-year regenerative agriculture programme in Pakistan’s cotton belt, where water stress, degraded soil and climate volatility are reshaping one of the country’s most important farming sectors.
