Iranian minister meets Pakistani leaders amid US Iran clash

A high-level Iranian official met with Pakistani military and political leadership on Tuesday, July 21, in an urgent diplomatic effort as direct military conflict between Iran and the United States intensifies over control of the Strait of Hormuz. The talks, involving Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni, follow the collapse of an interim ceasefire agreement brokered by Pakistan last month.

Momeni held discussions with Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, on Tuesday and was scheduled to meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif later the same day. The meetings in Islamabad aim to explore pathways to de-escalation and assess the regional security landscape. This diplomatic push coincides with a sharp increase in military action. The U.S. military conducted a tenth consecutive night of airstrikes inside Iran early Tuesday, targeting command centers, missile sites, and air defense systems. In response, Iranian forces attacked a commercial tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, forcing its crew to abandon ship, and launched drones and missiles at U.S. allies in the region, including Jordan and Bahrain.

The renewed fighting has effectively stalled shipping through the critical...