KYIV: Ukraine and Israel were on Tuesday locked in a diplomatic row over allegations Tel Aviv had accepted shipments of grain, which Kyiv said Russia had “stolen” from parts of occupied Ukraine.

On Tuesday, Kyiv summoned Israel’s ambassador to protest the alleged shipments.

One of the world’s largest grain producers, Ukraine has repeatedly accused Russia of illegally exporting agricultural products from territory that Moscow has captured since it invaded in February 2022.

“Another vessel carrying such grain has arrived at a port in Israel and is preparing to unload,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote in a statement on social media.

“The Israeli authorities cannot be unaware of which ships are arriving at the country’s ports and what cargo they are carrying,” he added.

The development came after an investigation by Israeli outlet Haaretz found that the cargo ship Abinsk, ostensibly belonging to Russia’s shadow fleet, had docked at Haifa a couple of weeks ago.

Although Kyiv said it had warned Israel about the ship’s cargo in advance, Tel Aviv claimed that Kyiv had not provided evidence to support its claims and rejected that the ship had arrived at the port of Haifa.

However, the Haaretz report indicates that this was not the first time that stolen grain from Ukraine was imported by Israel: by 2023, at least two ships carrying stolen grain had arrived in Israel, and at least one of them unloaded here.

“The Ukrainian government has not submitted a request for legal assistance… nor has the Ukrainian government provided evidence for its claims,” Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said at a news conference in response to a question.

Ukraine alleges Russia stole more than two million tonnes of grain from occupied territory in 2025. It said it had tracked shipments to Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Europe.

Published in Dawn, April 29th, 2026

• Iranian envoy lauds Pakistan for ‘persistent labour’ to pave way for dialogue
• Trump claims Tehran asked him to lift Hormuz blockade
• Spy agencies studying ‘likely response’ to US declaring victory
• Iran’s military says ‘still in state of war’
• Vance questions Pentagon assessment of conflict with Iran
• UAE tanker evades Hormuz blockade

WASHINGTON: Even as US President Donald Trump appeared reluctant to accept an Iranian offer to end the Middle East war, reports suggested Tehran would share a fresh proposal with Pakistan “in the next few days”, despite a public show of defiance.

According to CNN, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will consult Iranian leaders upon his return from Russia for the new proposal, but “process is slow” due to “difficulty in communicating with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, whose location is being kept secret”.

The development came as President Trump reviewed the Iranian proposals amid concerns over the Pentagon’s assessment of the ongoing war with Iran. Senior Iranian officials told Reuters the proposal carried by Iran’s Araghchi to Islamabad over the weekend envisioned talks in stages, with the nuclear issue to be set aside at the start.

A first step would require ending the US-Israeli war on Iran and providing guarantees that the US cannot start it up again. Then negotiators would resolve the US Navy’s blockade of Iran’s trade by sea and the fate of the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran aims to reopen under its control. Only then would talks look at other issues, including the longstanding dispute over Iran’s nuclear programme.

In a post on Truth Social, President Trump appeared to confirm the contents of the Iranian proposal, saying that Tehran wanted the US to “open the Hormuz strait”.

“Iran has just informed us that they are in a ‘State of Collapse’,” he said. “They want us to “Open the Hormuz Strait,” as soon as possible, as they try to figure out their leadership situation (Which I believe they will be able to do!).”

CNN, however, reported that Trump was unlikely to accept Iran’s proposal to restore traffic in the strait, as Qatar warned of the possibility of a “frozen conflict” if a resolution was not found.

Meanwhile, Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan Reza Amiri Moghadam appreciated Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and the foreign ministry officials for facilitating talks. “As trusted harbingers of international harmony, diplomats are the architects of peace, entrusted with navigating the delicate complexities of international relations through the patient craft of dialogue, empathy, and understanding,” he said in a tweet.

“Their dedicated efforts translate political will and principled determination into the practical avenues and arrangements necessary for any diplomatic process to take shape. This is diplomacy in its truest sense…” he said in a comment on Pakistan’s efforts.

‘State of war’

As the US mulled its offer, Iran struck a defiant tone, with its UN envoy also seeking guarantees that Washington and Israel would not attack again in return for security assurances for the Gulf.

Iranian defence ministry spokesman Reza Talaei-Nik, meanwhile, said that Washington “must abandon its illegal and irrational demands.”

According to Iran’s army spokesperson, it was still “a war situation” for Iran. “There is continuous monitoring … surveillance,” Fars news agency quoted Amir Akraminia as saying. “If the enemy takes a new action, they will be faced with new tools, methods, and arenas.”

Separately, Reuters reported that in order to understand the implications of Trump potentially pulling back from the damaging war, US intelligence agencies are studying how Iran would respond if the US were to declare “unilateral victory”.

The intelligence community is analysing the question along with others at the request of senior administration officials, Reuters reported, adding that some are worried the war could contribute to deep Republican losses at the midterm elections later this year.

Vance questions Pentagon assessment

In the US, President Trump faces domestic pressure as the conflict led to a spike in gas prices, while his deputy, JD Vance, appeared concerned over the Pentagon’s assessment of the Iran war.

Average US gas prices have climbed to their highest level since the start of the Iran war, as concerns grow over a prolo­n­ged energy crisis amid the Hormuz deadlock. According to AAA data, gasoline prices rose to an average of $4.18 a gallon on Tuesday — the highest since 2022.

Behind closed doors, Vance is said to have questioned whether the extent of depletion in US missile stockpiles had been fully reflected in official briefings.

Although the Strait of Hormuz remained blocked, it was reported that a UAE-flagged LNG ship had managed to slip through.

According to marine tracking firm Kpler, the LNG carrier Mubaraz is operated by the Emirati national oil company ADNOC.

Published in Dawn, April 29th, 2026

Israel on Monday told residents of south Lebanon ⁠to stay out of a belt of territory running the length of the border and not to approach the area of the Litani River, entrenching its grip over southern Lebanon despite a ceasefire in the war with Hezbollah. The US-mediated, 10-day ceasefire took effect on Thursday, largely halting the war between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah that spiralled out of the ‌conflict between the United States and Iran. But it remains fragile, with Israeli troops...