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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
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks at a Pentagon briefing on Thursday. 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

India

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

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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.

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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Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz faces renewed uncertainty as US restrictions and Iranian warnings unsettle key shipping lanes. Photo: Getty Images
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.

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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US Vice-President J.D. Vance in Islamabad for Iran talks on Saturday. Photo: AP
Asia travel

Lack of fuel reserves forces Southeast Asian flight cuts amid Hormuz crisis

Airlines are cutting flights, as dependence on Middle Eastern fuel hits operators from Pakistan to New Zealand.

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A Vietjet Airline airplane in front of a Vietnam Airlines airplane, at Noi Bai International Airport, in Hanoi, Vietnam, on May 28, 2025. Photo: Reuters
UAE

Minister says Pakistan ‘committed’ to repay US$3 billion loan from UAE

Finance Minister Aurangzeb said the government was exploring a ‘combination of many sources’ to pay back the amount.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Opinion | Pakistan has the world’s attention. Now it must focus inwards

For Islamabad, sustaining its diplomatic success will also depend on how effectively it addresses internal challenges.

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US, Israel war on Iran

US begins blockade of Iranian ports amid fragile ceasefire

Trump says Beijing ‘would like to see this ended’ as the US moves to stop vessels transiting to and from Iranian ports.

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A giant billboard reading ‘The Strait of Hormuz remains closed’ in Tehran, Iran. Photo: AFP
US, Israel war on Iran

What Pakistani jets in Saudi Arabia mean for Gulf security in Iran war

Analysts say the Pakistani air force’s presence ‘will complicate Iran’s targeting calculus’ and force it to reconsider its attack strategy.

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Pakistan Air Force’s JF-17 fighter jets fly past during a multinational naval exercise near Karachi in February 2025. Photo: AFP
US, Israel war on Iran

China says open Hormuz key to global interests as Trump blockade looms

Beijing’s foreign ministry denies that China plans to provide weapons and military tech to Iran.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Trump’s Hormuz blockade may target China along with Iran

The US plans to stop Iranian oil exports, which mainly go to China, after peace talks failed to produce a deal.

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