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Pakistan
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Pakistan

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Pakistan
Pakistan
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Pakistan. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Capital
Islamabad
Head of State
President Asif Ali Zardari
Head of Government
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif
Armed Houthi loyalists attend a rally in Yemen last month demanding a resumption of attacks against Red Sea shipping. Photo: Xinhua
US, Israel war on Iran

Iran war escalates as Houthis threaten to sever Saudi oil exports

Targets reportedly include a Saudi pipeline to the Red Sea, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and a UAE export terminal at Fujairah, outside the Gulf.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Exclusive | Iran keen on deal with US but has higher ‘pain tolerance’: think tank chief

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US, Israel war on Iran

Turkey’s Erdogan urges Iran, US to use ceasefire to push for lasting peace

US, Israel war on Iran

Iran, US say Strait of Hormuz is fully open to commercial vessels

Move eases oil fears, but US’ Iran blockade remains amid questions over enforcement and China’s role, as Trump claims to have ended 10 wars.

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A drone view shows the Malta-flagged tanker Agios Fanourios I, an oil tanker that sailed through the Strait of Hormuz, arriving in Iraq’s territorial waters off Basra, Iraq, on Friday. Photo: Reuters
US, Israel war on Iran

Lebanon becomes key to Iran-US peace talks amid fears of Israel’s ‘hegemony’

Pakistan is the regional go-between to help maintain the 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon and push for a conclusive deal to end the Iran war.

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Science

China’s space station crew to ‘maximise opportunities’ with extra month in orbit

The Shenzhou-21 astronauts were embroiled in drama last year after their probe was used in an emergency mission for the previous crew.

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Energy

Pakistan oil tanker becomes first to exit through Hormuz since US blockade began

Transits through the narrow waterway have been mostly in single digits since US and Israeli strikes began at the end of February.

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Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz off Khor Fakkan, United Arab Emirates, on March 11. Photo: AP
US, Israel war on Iran

Will China arm Iran during the ceasefire?

Pentagon says Beijing offered assurances as US tightens blockade and warns Tehran talks could quickly give way to renewed strikes.

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US-China relations

Trump-Xi summit worries, new fertiliser woes: 7 US-China relations reads

From soybeans and tariffs to Chinese-American plays, here are highlights from our US correspondents in early April 2026.

India

Opinion | Why India feels exposed by Pakistan’s diplomacy in Iran war

Pakistan, with its contested reputation, leapt into diplomatic action while India, despite its heft and concerns, was absent from the frame.

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English and Urdu newspapers at a roadside stall after the US-Iran peace talks in Islamabad on April 12. Photo: AFP
European Union

Europe running low on jet fuel, stoking fears of flight cancellations

IEA executive director Birol said the Hormuz blockade-induced energy crisis will hit nations including Japan, China and India harder.

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A plane passes behind kerosene storage facilities at Liege airport in Belgium on Thursday. Photo: EPA
US, Israel war on Iran

Fact-Check | This video of ‘Iran capturing US pilot’ was filmed in Pakistan

The conflict in the Middle East has led to videos being shared out of context by social media users.

US, Israel war on Iran

China’s Wang Yi calls on Iran to ensure freedom and safe passage through strait

In phone call with Iran’s top envoy, China’s foreign minister says situation is at ‘critical stage of transition between conflict and peace’.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Lebanon’s president refuses talks with Israel amid Trump’s peace push

The Lebanese leader said Beirut’s position is that a ceasefire should ⁠precede negotiations.

Israeli army vehicles and bulldozers operate in southern Lebanon, as seen from northern Israel, on Wednesday. Photo: AP
Middle East

Letters | Iran war is not just a short-term energy disruption

Readers discuss a possible motivation behind the war, Pakistan’s role as a mediator, and Republican silence in the face of the US president’s actions.

Smoke and flames rise at the site of airstrikes on an oil depot in Tehran on March 7, 2026. Photo: AFP/Getty Images/TNS
China-India relations

Exclusive | Quad summit plan turns uneasy as India pushes ahead without top leaders: sources

Trump foresees a ‘big, fat hug’ from China’s Xi Jinping as New Delhi mulls a face-saver Quad meet-up without the US president.

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US, Israel war on Iran

US cites optimism over a deal even as Iran threatens to close Red Sea shipping

US Treasury to end Iran oil waivers, warning China – top buyer – that banks risk secondary sanctions as American pressure intensifies.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Trump says the Iran war is ‘close to over’. Is he just out of options?

Several clocks are ticking for the American president as he looks for a way out of the deadlock, observers suggest.

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More than 10,000 troops are taking part in the US blockade of Iran, according to the US Central Command. Photo: Handout
US, Israel war on Iran

Pakistan seeks to shield Gulf states as US-Iran talks set to resume

A senior official involved in Islamabad’s diplomacy says it is trying to defuse the crisis ‘in any way we can’.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Is the US trying to pressure China with Hormuz blockade?

Speculation has been circulating that Washington’s aim is to force Beijing to put pressure on Tehran to strike a peace deal.

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Diplomacy

Opinion | How Pakistan outmanoeuvred India in Iran war diplomacy with China’s help

Beijing’s indirect influence has allowed Islamabad to take advantage of New Delhi’s strategic constraints.

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Workers remove a billboard after the failed peace talks between the United States and Iran, in Islamabad, Pakistan, on April 12. Photo: EPA
US, Israel war on Iran

Will the next round of US-Iran talks bring peace or more confrontation?

Lack of mutual trust means a strategic miscalculation could trigger renewed conflict at any moment, analysts say.

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A security guard stands in front of a billboard outside the Serena Hotel, the venue for the high-level US-Iran peace talks held over the weekend in Islamabad, Pakistan. Photo: Cici Cao
US-China relations

China hits out at ‘dangerous and irresponsible’ US blockade of Iran’s ports

Beijing says American move will ‘inflame tensions, escalate the situation and undermine an already fragile ceasefire’.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Asia’s energy supply at breaking point as US blockades Hormuz

Nearly 90 per cent of the region’s crude oil is now at risk as stalled peace talks and a naval stand-off raise the spectre of stagflation.

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US, Israel war on Iran

UN warns 8 million in Asia-Pacific risk poverty if Iran war drags on

A new UNDP report has forecast job losses, crippling inflation and food insecurity, with the poorest nations brutally exposed to the oil shock.

A farmer sprinkles fertiliser on crops in a field on the outskirts of Amritsar, India, on April 9. Experts have warned that the fertiliser crunch across Asia-Pacific may have lasting effects. Photo: AFP
China stock market

Stocks claw back most US-Iran war losses amid hopes diplomacy will prevail

The oil shock has already fuelled inflation expectations, which may prompt the Federal Reserve to tighten monetary policy.

An electronic stock board showing Japan’s Nikkei index at a securities firm in Tokyo, April 14, 2026. Photo: AP
SCMP Highlights

Japan’s sakura season rift, Singapore’s Hormuz stance: 7 Asia highlights

From Japan’s sakura season rift to a defamation hearing, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

United States

Vance had 2 jobs last week. Neither happened for the US vice-president

J.D. Vance returns to Washington empty-handed after a diplomatic tour that saw the fall of a key European ally and a stalemate in Islamabad.

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