PARIS: Journalism around the world is in dire straits, with Reporters Without Borders’ (RSF) Press Freedom Index calling it the worst year since records began.

For the first time in its 25-year history, over half of the world’s countries now fall into the “difficult” or “very serious” categories for press freedom, the media watchdog noted.

“Since RSF began publishing the World Press Freedom Index 25 years ago, press freedom has been gradually deteriorating,” it noted in the sobering report, released ahead of World Press Freedom day, which will be observed tomorrow (Sunday).

“Journalists are still being killed and imprisoned for their work, but the tactics undermining press freedom are evolving. Journalism is being asphyxiated by hostile political discourse towards reporters, weakened by a faltering media economy, and squeezed by laws being used as weapons against the press.”

RSF Press Freedom Index paints dismal picture; more than half of the world deemed ‘difficult’ for journalists or worse

According to RSF statistics since Jan 1, 2026, 13 journalists were killed around the world, while 471 are currently detained. In addition, at least 21 journalists are held hostage, while 135 remain missing in action.

The US, which had already fallen from a “fairly good” to a “problematic” situation in 2024, the year of Donald Trump’s re-election, has dropped a further seven places to 64, it said.

US President Donald Trump has turned his repeated attacks on the press and journalists into a systematic policy, pushing the US down to 64th place (-7).

The drastic cuts to the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) workforce had global repercussions, leading to the closure, suspension and downsizing of international broadcasters such as Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) and Radio Free Asia (RFA) in countries where they were some of the last reliable sources of information.

Among some of the most disturbing of RSF’s findings was that the criminalisation of journalism has reaches a peak.

The Index’s legal indicator has seen the most severe decline this year. This score deteriorated in more than 60pc of states — 110 out of 180 — between 2025 and 2026.

This is notably the case in India (157th), Egypt (169th), Israel (116th) and Georgia (135th). The criminalisation of journalism, which is rooted in circumventing press law and misusing emergency legislation and common law, is proving to be a global phenomenon.

In Pakistan (153rd), the press faces relentless waves of restrictions amid a fraught political climate in which authorities seek to control, and in some cases suppress, the dissemination of journalistic content, RSF said.

Among the countries closed off to the independent press, Vladimir Putin’s Russia (172nd) has become a specialist in using laws designed to combat terrorism, separatism and extremism to restrict press freedom.

Even in established democracies, legal provisions can undermine press freedom. In Japan (62nd), the state secrecy law continues to have a chilling effect on journalism as there are no adequate protections for source confidentiality to counterbalance it, which breeds self-censorship.

In South Korea (47th), government measures introduced to combat the spread of “false information” have drawn criticism from press freedom organisations, yet another example of the persistent tension between tackling disinformation and preserving the right to report.

Published in Dawn, May 2nd, 2026

UNITED NATIONS: The escalating crisis in the Strait of Hormuz could push tens of millions into poverty, trigger a surge in global hunger and even tip the world toward recession, United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned on Thursday.

The closure of the vital waterway is “strangling the global economy,” the secretary general said in remarks to the press.

Guterres decried the restrictions on free passage through the strait, a crucial chokepoint, which he said is impeding the delivery of oil, gas, fertiliser and other critical commodities.

Even if restrictions on shipping and trade were lifted immediately, “supply chains will take months to recover, prolonging lower economic output and higher prices,” he said.

Setting out three possible trajectories for a world still reeling from the shocks of a pandemic and the war in Ukraine, Guterres said the best-case scenario would see global growth fall from 3.4 per cent to 3.1pc, with inflation rising to 4.4pc and trade slowing sharply.

If disruptions arising from Iranian attacks and threats and the US blockade of Iranian ports continue through midyear, the consequences would deepen significantly, he added.

Under that scenario, 32 million people would be pushed into poverty, 45 million more would face extreme hunger as fertiliser runs low and crop yields fall, and “hard-won development gains” could be reversed overnight.

In a worst-case scenario, where severe disruptions persist through the end of the year, “we confront the spectre of a global recession with dramatic impacts on people, on the economy, and on political and social stability,” he warned.

“These consequences are not cumulative. They are exponential,” Guterres stressed, cautioning that the longer the vital artery is choked, the harder it will be to reverse the damage.

Guterres highlighted diplomatic efforts underway to break the deadlock in the US-Iran talks.

“My message to all parties is clear: Navigational rights and freedoms must be restored immediately,” Guterres said. “Open the Strait. Let all ships pass. Let the global economy breathe again.”

Published in Dawn, May 1st, 2026

• Trump warns Iran to ‘get smart soon’, accept N-curbs; signals months-long extension of naval blockade
• Tehran warns of ‘unprecedented military action’ over shipping curbs
• USS Gerald R. Ford to return after 10-month deployment in ME

TEHRAN/WASHIN­GTON: Amid reports about Iran’s plan to make a fresh proposal, US President Donald Trump on Wedn­esday rejected an Iranian offer to end the conflict, saying that the naval blockade would remain till Tehran agreed to a nuclear deal.

The US president told Axios that the blockade was “somewhat more effective than the bombing” and things would get “worse for them”.

“They want to settle. They don’t want me to keep the blockade. I don’t want to [lift the blockade], because I don’t want them to have a nuclear weapon,” he added during the 15-minute interview with Axios.

The Iranian proposal, passed along by Pakistan, had laid out red lines, including on nuclear issues and the Strait of Hormuz. The plan would reportedly see Tehran ease its chokehold on the strait and Washington lift its retaliatory blockade while broader negotiations continue, including over the nuclear programme. However, it was rejected and a new offer is on the cards.

However, The Washington Post in a report quoted multiple US officials as saying that the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford would depart the Middle East and begin the sail for home in coming days.

The planned withdrawal comes as an expected relief for roughly 4,500 sailors, who have been deployed there for 10 months, but a loss of significant firepower as peace talks between the United States and Iran stagnate.

Earlier, Iran’s Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad, according to Al Jazeera, said Iran’s supply and distribution of fuel remained stable despite the US blockade on Iranian ports. Iran’s parliament speaker Bagher Ghalibaf said the US wanted to divide Iran using the blockade.

The US president also discussed the Iran war with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, days after the visit of Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to St Petersburg.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, US President Donald Trump said he talked “a little bit”. “He told me he’d like to be involved with the enrichment, if he can help us get it,” Trump said, referring to retrieving Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium. “I said, ‘I’d much rather have you be involved with ending the war in Ukraine.’ To me, that’d be more important,” he added.

Ghalibaf calls for unity

“The enemy has entered a new phase and wants to activate economic pressure and internal division through naval blockade and media hype to weaken or even make us collapse from within,” Ghalibaf added, calling for “maintaining unity” as the only solution.

However, the US president told oil executives that the US could extend its naval blockade of Iran for months more. “Iran can’t get their act together… They better get smart soon,” Trump posted on his social media platform, above a mocked-up picture of himself toting a rifle in front of explosions wrecking a desert fortress and the slogan: “No more Mr. Nice Guy!”

According to the administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, Trump discussed with the oil executives “steps we could take to continue the current blockade for months if needed and minimise impact on American consumers”.

Brent crude rises to $117

News that peace talks remained stalled pushed oil prices higher one again, with Brent crude for June delivery rising more than five per cent to $117 — its highest level since a fragile US-Iran ceasefire came into effect on April 8.

Iran has blockaded the Strait of Hormuz — a vital conduit for oil and gas shipments from the Gulf — since the US and Israel launched the war two months ago, sending shockwaves through the global economy. But its own economy is also suffering. On Wednesday, the Iranian rial fell to historic lows against the dollar.

Tehran warned on Wednesday of “unprecedented military action” against continued US blockading of Iran-linked vessels. Trump has stressed repeatedly that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, while Tehran says its nuclear ambitions are peaceful.

‘No trust’

During a White House state dinner on Tuesday, Trump told Britain’s King Charles III and other guests that Iran had been “militarily defeated”, and added: “Charles agrees with me even more than I do — we’re never going to let that opponent have a nuclear weapon.”

But an Iranian army spokesman told state TV on Tuesday that “we do not consider the war to be over”, saying Tehran had “no trust in America”.

“We have many cards that we have not yet used… new tools and methods of fighting based on the experiences of the past two wars, which will definitely allow us to respond to the enemy more decisively” should the fighting resume, Amir Akraminia said in an interview.

Published in Dawn, April 30th, 2026

LONDON: Britain’s parliament will vote on Tuesday on launching an inquiry into Prime Minister Keir Starmer to determine whe­­ther he misled the House of Commons over the app­o­intment of former US amb­assador Peter Mandelson.

Any such inquiry could have serious implications for Starmer’s future. If the prime minister is found to have knowingly misled par­­­liament, his position would likely become untenable.

House of Commons Spe­aker Lindsay Hoyle said he approved a request from opposition Conser­vative Party leader Kemi Bade­noch for a debate and vote on whether the Committee of Privileges should investigate the matter.

The controversy stems from Starmer’s decision to hire Mandelson, who was fired last September after his relationship with the late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was found to be deeper than previously known.

The incident has raised doubts about Starmer’s judgement, particularly after it was revealed a security vetting body was leaning against granting clearance for the appointment — a decision foreign ministry officials overruled without telling the prime minister.

A spokesperson from Starmer’s office described the push for a vote as a “des­­perate political stunt” ahe­ad of local elections on May 7.

The government also published a letter from a former senior civil servant saying he concluded “that appropriate processes were followed”. If approved, the inquiry would focus on Starmer’s statements that due process was followed when hiring Mandelson.

The same committee found that former prime minister Boris Johnson had knowingly misled parliament over parties held during Covid, a report that pre­­­c­eded his resignation.

Published in Dawn, April 28th, 2026

• Seven ships pass vital waterway in a day, compared to pre-war average of 140
• Iranian lawmaker says military to manage maritime route as UN chief urges toll-free waterway
• UAE rebukes Gulf allies for ‘meek’ political and military response to Tehran strikes
• Germany’s Merz says US being humiliated by Iranian leadership

LONDON/TEHRAN: Amid the US-Iran conflict that led to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, only seven ships, mostly dry bulk vessels, crossed the vital maritime route in one day compared to an average of 140 ships that used to pass through the strait before the US-Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb 28.

The vessels included ships leaving from Iraqi ports and one dry bulk vessel from an Iranian port, according to ship-tracking data from Kpler and separate satellite analysis from data analytics specialists SynMax.

“Iran has attacked and detained ships for not adhering to its required transit requirements, while the US has continued to enforce its blockade,” ship broker Clarksons said in a note on Monday.

The US Central Command has redirected 37 vessels since a blockade was imposed on Iran on April 13, the military said. Six Iranian tankers returned to Iranian ports and sailed back through Hormuz in recent days with some 10.5 million barrels of oil, according to satellite analysis from TankerTrackers.com. The US military has not provided a complete breakdown of the type of ships it has diverted or the precise location of the interceptions.

However, two tankers carrying around four million barrels of Iranian oil managed to sail past the blockade on April 24 bound for Asia, the data from TankerTrackers.com showed. But their fate was uncertain. Analysts said US forces have been diverting Iran-linked ships as far east as the Malacca Strait, so it is unclear whether those cargoes will reach buyers or be intercepted and redirected back to Iran.

‘Hostile vessels’ in Hormuz

Meanwhile, Iran asserted its ownership over Hormuz, with a top official saying that Iran’s armed forces would be the authority responsible for the Strait of Hormuz under the country’s proposed law for managing the waterway.

Ebrahim Azizi, head of the national security commission in Iran’s parliament, told state television that the armed forces were already in control of the strait and were seeking to prohibit the passage of “hostile vessels”. He also said the proposed law states that financial gains from the strait should be paid in the local rial currency.

The UN chief, however, asked both sides to open the energy route. “I appeal to the parties: open the strait. Let ships pass. No tolls. No discrimination. Let trade resume. Let the global economy breathe,” Antonio Guterres said, addressing a high-level UN Security Council debate on maritime security.

UAE lambastes neighbours

Meanwhile, a senior United Arab Emirates official criticised its Gulf allies over their response to Iranian retaliatory attacks in the region following the Israeli-US strikes that launched the Middle East war.

Presidential adviser Anwar Gargash said the Gulf states had supported each other logistically in the crisis, but he lambasted their political and military response.

“The GCC’s stance was the weakest historically, considering the nature of the attack and the threat it posed to everyone,” he said, referring to the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council.

Tehran fired hundreds of missiles and drones at the GCC nations — Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE — after the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28.

The UAE, which has been the most heavily targeted country, has adopted a more forceful tone towards Iran, while its neighbours appear more measured.

Likewise, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz rebuked Donald Trump for having no exit strategy, saying that Iran’s leadership was humiliating the US and getting officials to travel to Pakistan, and then leave without results.

“The Iranians are obviously very skilled at negotiating, or rather, very skilful at not negotiating, letting the Americans travel to Islamabad and then leave again without any result,” he said during remarks in the town of Marsberg.

Published in Dawn, April 28th, 2026

• Dominate West Bank polls, claim many seats uncontested; secure six seats in Deir al-Balah
• Hamas boycotts elections; linked candidates win only two of 15 seats
• Gaza turnout lags at 23pc, West Bank reaches 56pc; first election in two decades amid Israeli strikes despite truce

CAIRO: Loyalists of President Mahmoud Abbas won most races in Palestinian municipal elections, election officials said on Sunday, in a vote that for the first time in nearly two decades included a city in the Gaza Strip run by rival Hamas.

Saturday’s ballot marked the first elections of any kind in Gaza since 2006 and the first Palestinian polls since the Gaza war escalated more than two years ago.

Abbas’ West Bank based Palestinian Authority (PA) said the inclusion of the Gaza city Deir al-Balah, which suffered less damage than other areas of the coastal territory during the war, was intended to show that Gaza was an inseparable part of a future Palestinian state.

The elections, in which voter turnout was low, had been held “at a highly sensitive moment amid complex challenges and exceptional circumstances”, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa said as results were announced on Sunday.

But they represented “an important first step in a broader national process aimed at strengthening democratic life … and ultimately achieving the unity of the homeland”, he said.

Hamas boycott

Hamas, which ousted the PA from Gaza in 2007, did not formally nominate candidates in Gaza and boycotted the race in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where Fatah’s victory was widely expected.

But some candidates on one of the Deir al-Balah lists were widely seen by residents and analysts as aligned with the movement, making the vote a potential indicator of support for the Islamist group.

Preliminary results showed that the list, known as Deir al-Balah Brings Us Together, won only two of the 15 seats contested in Gaza.

The Nahdat Deir al-Balah list, backed by Abbas’ Fatah party and the Western-backed PA, secured six seats.

The remaining seats were won by two other Gaza-based groups, Future of Deir al-Balah and Peace and Building, not affiliated with either faction.

Abbas loyalists swept the election in the West Bank, running unchallenged in many seats.

Fatah spokesperson Abdul Fattah Dawla noted that turnout was close to that for the last municipal elections in the West Bank, in 2022, praising voters for participating despite ongoing violence by Israel.

“By electing figures linked to Fatah, voters appear to be seeking unrestricted international support for municipal governance and a gradual political shift that could extend beyond the local level,” said Palestinian political analyst Reham Ouda.

The recent war has left much of Gaza reduced to rubble, with many residents displaced and focused on survival. Israel has continued conducting strikes despite an October ceasefire.

In Gaza voter turnout reached just 23pc, while in the West Bank it was 56pc, according to Chairman of the Central Elections Commission Rami al-Hamdallah.

Al-Hamdallah said some of the ballot boxes and voting equipment did not make it into the enclave because of Israeli security restrictions, though those challenges were overcome.

Hamas’ Gaza spokesperson, Hazem Qassem, downplayed the significance of the election results, saying that they had no impact on wider national issues.

Published in Dawn, April 27th, 2026

• Iran asks US to lift blockade, warns of response if ‘piracy’ continues
• Macron wants full reopening of strait in ‘coming days and weeks’
• Turkiye, Germany agree to de-mining missions

TEHRAN/ANKARA: As a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz by the US and Iran led to energy shortages, efforts were afoot to restore freedom of navigation in the vital maritime route, with multiple countries offering to de-mine the strait once peace was restored.

After the US and Israel attacked Iran on Feb 28, Tehran responded by shutting down the strait and later announced it would charge vessels using the maritime route. The US earlier this month blockaded Iranian ports to stop its oil exports and returned over 30 ships leaving Iranian ports.

Despite an extension in a recent ceasefire between the two, Hormuz remained a flashpoint, proving a major hurdle in the resumption of talks.

Iran’s military said it would respond if the US maintained its blockade of Iranian ports, calling it “banditry” and “piracy”. In a statement carried by state-run media outlet IRIB, the military’s central command Khatam Al-Anbiya said that if “the invading US military continues blockading, banditry, and piracy in the region, they should be certain that they will face a response from Iran’s powerful armed forces”. “We are ready and determined, while monitoring the behaviour and movements of enemies,” it added.

‘In the same boat’

On the other hand, French President Emmanuel Macron reiterated that he was focused on efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a day after the head of TotalEnergies warned of global energy shortages if the Iran war continued for months.

Mr Macron, speaking at a news conference in Athens alongside Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, said panic caused by geopolitical uncertainty can in itself lead to shortages.

“Our goal is to achieve a full reopening in the coming days and weeks, in accordance with international law, guaranteeing freedom of navigation without tolls on the Strait of Hormuz. Then things can gradually return to normal,” he said.

TotalEnergies CEO Patrick Pouyanne pressed on Friday for the reopening of the strait, through which about a fifth of the globe’s oil and gas supply normally flows.

Movement through the strait, which is also a key transport route for goods, including fertilisers and pharmaceuticals, has been choked due to the US-Israeli war with Iran, as Iran has seized container ships and the United States has mounted a blockade on Iranian ports.

More than a dozen countries said they were willing to join an international mission led by France and Britain to protect shipping in the strait when conditions permit, even as US President Donald Trump had said he did not need allies’ help.

“We’re all in the same boat, and it’s not a boat we chose, if I may say. We’re victims of geopolitics and we’re victims of this war that started several months ago,” President Macron said on Saturday.

De-mining missions

Turkiye and Germany also appeared interested in Hormuz missions. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Ankara could consider taking part in demining operations in the Strait of Hormuz following a possible peace agreement between Iran and the United States.

Mr Fidan, speaking to reporters in London on Friday evening, said a technical team was expected to carry out mine-clearing work in the strait after any agreement, adding that Turkey viewed such efforts positively in principle as a humanitarian duty.

Turkiye would have “no problem” with participating in mine-clearing operations under those conditions, he said, adding that it would reassess its position if any future technical coalition of countries became a party to renewed conflict. Mr Fidan also said he believed issues related to Iran’s nuclear programme could be resolved at the next round of talks in Pakistan.

Germany will soon send a minesweeper to the Mediterranean for a possible mission in the Strait of Hormuz after the end of the US-Iran war, a defence ministry spokeswoman told AFP on Saturday.

The German navy’s “Fulda” will be deployed “in the coming days”, the spokeswoman said. The aim was to make a “significant and visible contribution to an international coalition seeking to protect freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz,” she said.

Minesweepers are specialised vessels used to detect and set off naval mines. The ship will be stationed with a crew of about 45. But any deployment in the Strait will only happen after “a lasting end in hostilities” and approval from the German parliament’s lower house.

Published in Dawn, April 26th, 2026

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s Hezbollah said a US-mediated ceasefire in the war with Israel was meaningless a day after it was extended for three weeks, as Lebanese authorities reported two people killed by an Israeli strike and Hezbollah downed an Israeli drone.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military claimed its forces killed six Hezbollah fighters in a southern Lebanese town during a clash that included a firefight.

According to the military, troops identified six fighters operating in the town of Bint Jbeil, an area that saw heavy fighting before a ceasefire was declared last week.

US President Donald Trump announced the three-week extension on Thursday after hosting Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors at the White House. The ceasefire agreement between the governments of Lebanon and Israel had been due to expire on Sunday.

Israel claims killing of six Hezbollah fighters; group downs Israeli Hermes 450 drone

While the ceasefire has led to a significant reduction in hostilities, Israel and Hezbollah have continued to trade blows in southern Lebanon, where Israel has kept soldiers in a self-declared “buffer zone”.

Responding to the extension, Hezbollah lawmaker Ali Fayyad said that “it is essential to point out that the ceasefire is meaningless in light of Israel’s insistence on hostile acts, including assassinations, shelling and gunfire” and its demolition of villages and towns in the south.

“Every Israeli attack … gives the resistance the right to a proportionate response,” he added.

Hezbollah is not a party to the ceasefire agreement and has strongly objected to Lebanon’s face-to-face contacts with Israel.

Buffer zone

The April 16 agreement does not require Israeli troops to withdraw from the belt of southern Lebanon seized during the war. The zone extends 5km to 10km into Lebanon.

Israel says the buffer zone aims to protect northern Israel from attacks by Hezbollah, which fired hundreds of rockets at Israel during the war.

Lebanon’s health ministry said an Israeli air strike killed two people in the southern village of Touline on Friday.

It said the death toll since fighting between the Israeli army and Hezbollah broke out on March 2 has risen to 2,491 people killed and 7,719 wounded, according to Al Jazeera.

Hezbollah shot down an Israeli drone, the group and the Israeli military said. Hezbollah identified it as a Hermes 450 and said it had downed it with a surface-to-air missile.

An Israeli drone was heard circling above Beirut throughout the day on Friday.

The Israeli military warned residents of the southern town of Deir Aames to leave their homes immediately, saying it planned to act against “Hezbollah activities” there.

Deir Aames is located north of the area occupied by Israeli forces, and it was the first time Israel had issued such a warning since the ceasefire came into force on April 16. Posted on social media, the Israeli warning gave no details of the activities it said Hezbollah was conducting in the town.

The Israeli military also said it had intercepted a drone prior to its crossing into Israeli territory, and that sirens were sounded in line with protocol.

Published in Dawn, April 25th, 2026

• US Gen Caine claims 34 ships turned around, but Hapag-Lloyd says one ship made it thru strait
• EU leaders meet in Cyprus to find swift resolution to shipping crisis
• ‘Neutral’ Switzerland set to reopen embassy in Tehran

WASHINGTON / PARIS: Even as renewed engagement between Iran and Pakistan over dialogue with the US sent out positive signals, Europe and the rest of the world appears anxious for a swift, diplomatic end to the war that has ravaged the Middle East and crippled global shipping, causing a fuel crunch across the globe.

Separately, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth has claimed that: “No one sails from the Strait of Hormuz to anywhere in the world without the permission of the United States Navy.”

Addressing reporters alongside US Gen Dan Caine, the US defence secretary said the US was “not anxious” for a deal with Iran, and repeated Trump’s previous comments of having “all the time in the world”.

“Iran knows that they still have an open window to choose wisely … at the negotiating table. All they have to do is abandon a nuclear weapon in meaningful and verifiable ways,” he said.

According to Gen Caine, 34 ships had been turned around as of Friday morning, adding that the US military would continue to interdict Iranian vessels in the Pacific and Indian oceans.

“We’re enforcing the blockade across the board against any ship of any nationality that is transiting to or from an Iranian port or territory,” Caine said.

“We’re closely tracking vessels of interest headed towards Iran and those moving away from Iran that were outside the blockade area when this blockade was ord­ered and … we’re prepared and postured to intercept them,” he said.

However, shipping group Hapag-Lloyd said on Friday that one of its ships has crossed the Strait of Hormuz but did not have any information on the circumstances or timing.

Four out of initially six ships remain in the Gulf, after one ship’s charter agreement expired, meaning it no longer belongs to the Hapag-Lloyd fleet, a spokesperson added.

Scores of tankers and other vessels remain stuck in the Gulf as the United States is struggling to keep control of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s busiest shipping corridors.

Europe worried

Meanwhile, leaders from Lebanon, Egypt, Syria and Jordan as well as the secretary general of the Gulf Cooperation Council, were in Cyprus on Friday to meet their EU counterparts on the sidelines of a summit. The EU has largely remained on the sidelines in the Middle East war despite US President Donald Trump lashing out at what he says is Europe’s lack of support for Washington’s efforts to contain Iran.

“The current situation clearly underscores how closely Europe’s security is linked with that of the Middle East, and how vital our cooperation on security and defence has become,” European Council president Antonio Costa told a press conference after the talks.

“The Strait of Hormuz must immediately reopen without restrictions and without tolling, in full respect of international law and the principle of freedom of navigation. This is vital for the entire world,” Costa said.

“Diplomacy is the only sustainable way forwards, and European Union is ready to contribute to all ongoing efforts,” he added.

An extension of a shaky truce between Israel and Lebanon has also been agreed on – but European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said that was “not enough”, calling for a permanent settlement.

“You cannot have stability in the Middle East or the Gulf while Lebanon is in flames,” she said. “A temporary pause is not enough”.

The EU has largely remained on the sidelines in the Middle East war despite US President Donald Trump lashing out at what he says is Europe’s lack of support for Washington’s efforts to contain Iran.

French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters that “Europe must do even more” to help end the crisis.

“It is in everyone’s interest for stability to return as soon as possible and for the world’s economies to be reassured,” Macron said, in stark contrast to Trump, who recently said the US had “all the time in the world”.

‘Neutral’ Swiss set to reopen Tehran embassy

Meanwhile, Switzerland said Friday it had begun sending staff back to Tehran and would gradually reopen its embassy, enabling it to continue as a facilitator for diplomatic contacts between Washington and Tehran.

For decades, neutral Switzerland has played a central role in maintaining basic diplomatic contacts between Iran and the United States.

But the country temporarily closed its embassy on March 11 days after the Middle East war erupted with the first US-Israeli attacks on Iran.

The Swiss foreign ministry said four staff had returned and insisted the channel of communication between the US and Iran had been kept open even while the mission was shut.

“The decision to gradually reopen the embassy was taken after a risk analysis and in consultation with Iran and the United States, whose interests Switzerland represents under its protecting power mandate,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Switzerland “is prepared to provide its good offices if the parties so wish and supports all diplomatic initiatives that contribute to de-escalation and a lasting peace”.

The Swiss embassy in Tehran handles all consular affairs between the United States and Iran, including passport requests, altering civil status and consular protection for US citizens in Iran.

Published in Dawn, April 25th, 2026

• Advocacy groups call plan ‘unacceptable’; fear refusal could force return to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan
• Evacuees left in limbo for years at Qatar base; many tied to US military, aid work
• Path to United States stalled after Trump halted visa processing

WASHINGTON: The Trump administration is in discussions with the Democratic Republic of Congo to resettle 1,100 Afghans, who have been stranded in Qatar for years while awaiting US visas, an advocacy organisation said.

The talks highlight the protracted legal and logistical hurdles facing Afghans who fled the Taliban after US immigrant visa processing for their home country was effectively halted. They have remained in limbo more than four years after the US military withdrawal from Kabul.

Shawn VanDiver, founder and president of #AfghanEvac, a coalition of veterans’ and advocacy groups, told Reuters that US officials briefed him on the plan. He described the proposal to send the Afghans to Congo as “unacceptable”, citing the central African country’s chronic insecurity.

The Afghans are currently housed at Camp As Sayliyah, a former US Army base in Qatar, where they were initially transferred to complete their visa processing for entry into the United States. Some are relatives of American citizens, while others worked for US-funded organisations during the 20-year conflict in Afghanistan.

Their path to the US was obstructed after processing ground to a halt following the Trump administration’s return to office in January 2025.

Last June, the administration added Afghanistan to a list of 12 countries subject to a travel ban, although it included a narrow exemption for Special Immigrant Visas (SIV) for Afghans who had served alongside American troops and diplomats.

By November, however, Washi­ngton had stopped all immigrant visa processing for Afghan nationals. The decision followed the fatal shooting of two US National Guard members by a former member of a CIA-backed Afghan paramilitary unit.

While a federal judge ruled in February that the administration’s ban on Afghan SIV processing was illegal, VanDiver said the process remains effectively at a standstill. #AfghanEvac said in a statement Tuesday that all 1,100 Afghans in Qatar have been vetted for resettlement.

A State Department spokesperson, in an email late on Tuesday, said resettling the Afghans in a third country would be a “positive solution” that would allow them to start new lives outside Afghanistan.

The spokesperson did not directly answer a question about whether Congo was among the nations being considered. The Congolese government did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The NYT first reported on the resettlement effort.

Congo has been plagued by decades of conflict and is currently battling a Rwanda-backed rebel movement that made significant territorial gains in the country’s east last year. The ongoing violence makes it unlikely the Afghans would agree to be resettled there, VanDiver said.

He voiced concern that a refusal could be used by US officials as a pretext for returning them to Afghanistan.

“I worry that this is just a way for State to wash their hands of these folks, many of whom are women, children, and family of US military, that will ultimately result in them becoming stateless or having to go back to certain death in Afghanistan,” VanDiver said.

According to VanDiver, the administration had previously tried to resettle the group in Botswana. VanDiver said the deal fell through after Botswana objected to a new US policy requiring its citizens to post a $15,000 bond for certain US visas. Sources told AFP that Taliban officials are expected in Brussels in the coming weeks for discussions.

Published in Dawn, April 23rd, 2026

• Trump says resumption of negotiations in Islamabad possible within ‘36 to 72 hours’; appreciates Tehran for stopping ‘execution’ of detained women
• Pezeshkian welcomes dialogue, cites ‘breach of commitments, blockade and threats’ as main obstacles
• Trump denies media reports about deadline, says ‘no time pressure’ surrounding ceasefire
• Ghalibaf says complete truce only makes sense if not violated by naval blockade
• Iran seizes two cargo ships attempting to cross Strait of Hormuz; another vessel comes under fire

WASHINGTON/TEHRAN: As the Iran-US ceasefire extension created space for further diplomacy, US Presi­dent Donald Trump on Wednesday hoped a second round of talks could take place within two to three days, despite persistent mistrust.

“It’s possible!” President Trump reportedly told the New York Post by text message, after the newspaper reached out to him to confirm whether the talks were “expected in Islamabad within the next 36 to 72 hours”.

The optimism was in contrast to tensions in the Strait of Hormuz amid a blockade of Iranian ports by the US and the Iranian navy’s seizure of at least two ships on Wednesday, which were directed to the Iranian coast after they tried to cross the strait, and statements by Iran­ian officials accusing the US of violating the ceasefire by blockading the ports.

The US, however, insisted the blockade would continue, with reports claiming that Iran had only a few days to share its proposal. US outlet Axios quoted an American source who claimed that Pres­ident Trump had given Iran only a few days to come up with a unified proposal.

“Trump is willing to give another three to five days of ceasefire to allow the Iranians” to get their affairs in order. “It is not going to be open-ended,” Axios reported.

Fox News also reported the development, citing an unnamed US official. In his social media post that announced the extension of the ceasefire, the US president had said the ceasefire was extended till the Iranian government, which was “fractured”, came up with a proposal, without giving an explicit deadline.

However, Trump later denied these media reports, saying there is “no time pressure” surrounding the ceasefire, or agreeing to a new date for talks with Iran, Fox News reported late in the day.

He told Fox News that reports about three- to five-day window for the ceasefire extension were “false”.

Asked when the war might end, he said there was “no time frame” and no rush.

Meanwhile, Tehran took exception to the claims of divisions. Mehdi Tabatabaei, deputy for communications at the Iranian president’s office, quoted by Al Jazeera, rejected the claim as “political propaganda”. He claimed that unity within the Iranian leadership was “unprecedented and exemplary”.

“Instead of weaving lies, they should cease their breach of promise, bullying, and deceit; the door to negotiations based on fairness, dignity, and rationality remains open,” he wrote on X.

Similarly, Reuters quoted Iran’s parliament speaker and top negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, as saying that a complete ceasefire only made sense if it was not violated by the US blockade of Iranian ports. He said in a tweet that the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz was impossible with such a “flagrant breach of the ceasefire”.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, meanwhile, said that the “breach of commitments, blockade and threats” are the main obstacles to genuine negotiations.

In a social media post on X, President Pezeshkian said, “The Islamic Republic of Iran has welcomed dialogue and agreement and continues to do so. “Breach of commitments, blockade and threats are the main obstacles to genuine negotiations. The world sees your endless hypocritical rhetoric and contradiction between claims and actions.”

‘Necessary and logical groundwork’

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei did not give a clear answer on resuming talks with the US. When asked about the possibility of a second round of talks, Baqaei replied, “Diplomacy is a tool to secure national interests and security, and whenever we conclude that the necessary and logical groundwork is in place to use this tool for realising national interests and consolidating the Iranian nation’s achievements in frustrating enemies from achieving their sinister goals, we will take action.”

The foreign ministry’s statement, however, expressed “gratitude for Pakistan’s gracious efforts and mediation attempts to end the imposed war and establish peace in the region”.

According to the spokesperson, Tehran was taking the necessary measures to safeguard Iran’s national interests and security” and that the Iranian forces stood “ready to comprehensively and decisively defend the nation’s integrity against any threat or hostility”.

He emphasised that Iran had not initiated the war and that all of Tehran’s actions “have been carried out in line with its inherent right to legitimate self-defence against military aggression by the United States and the Israeli regime”. “Iran will use every opportunity and capacity to hold aggressors accountable, secure Iran’s rights — including delivering justice for perpetrators and instigators of war crimes — and demand compensation,” according to the statement.

The US president, however, appreciated Iran for complying with one of his requests to terminate the planned execution of eight women detained by the Iranian government in connection with unrest. In a social media post, US President Donald Trump announced that eight women detained by Iran “will no longer be killed” after warning in an earlier social media post that they would be executed.

“Four will be released immediately, and four will be sentenced to one month in prison,” he said on Truth Social, while appreciating Iran for “respecting his request” to terminate the planned execution. The Iranian judiciary had already denied claims that the detained women were on death row.

Two ships seized in Hormuz

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they seized two container ships trying to cross the Strait of Hormuz. UK-based maritime security monitors confirmed that three commercial vessels had reported incidents involving gunboats in the crucial strait. “The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps naval force this morning identified and stopped in the Strait of Hormuz two violating ships,” the Guards said in a statement.

“The two offending ships… were seized by the IRGC’s naval forces and directed to the Iranian coast.” They identified one ship as the Panama-flagged container ship MSC Francesca and the Liberia-flagged Epaminodas. The tracking site Marine Traffic showed the last known positions of both vessels closer to the Iranian coast of the strait, northeast of Oman.

Separately, a third ship was fired upon and stopped in the water eight nautical miles west of the Iranian coast, UKMTO said, without identifying the attackers. British Security firm Vanguard Tech identified it as the Panama-flagged container ship Euphoria, which it said was “transiting outbound of the Strait of Hormuz”.

Published in Dawn, April 23rd, 2026

• Lebanese PM says country needs €500m to address humanitarian fallout
• Speaker says Israel will face resistance if troops stay in Lebanon
• Belgian FM terms Tel Aviv’s conduct ‘totally unacceptable’
• Israel says applying diplomatic, military pressure to disarm Hezbollah

PARIS/BEIRUT: French President Emmanuel Macron has pledged to help Lebanese authorities prepare for negotiations with Israel, even if Paris was not directly part of discussions.

Speaking at a news conference on Tue­sday alongside Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, Macron said it was “secondary” for France to be sitting at the table of negotiations as it was in Lebanon’s interest that everyone helps it in the negotiations.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the country needed 500 million euros to address the humanitarian fallout, as a fragile 10-day ceasefire holds between Israel and the Iran-backed group Hezbollah.

“Lebanon needs 500 million euros to tackle the humanitarian crisis over the next six months,” Salam said during a press conference, after Lebanon raised the toll from six weeks of war to more than 2,450 dead and more than 7,600 wounded in the conflict.

The Lebanese PM and French president discussed how to strengthen the country’s hand in possible direct negotiations with Israel in the United States later this week, as Beirut turns to a trusted European ally.

The US will host ambassador-level talks with Israel and Lebanon on Thursday, although it remains unclear whether the objective is to extend a fragile 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah or pave the way for deeper negotiations.

Israeli troops occupy territory deep in the south, aiming to create a buffer zone to shield northern Israel from Hezbollah attack, while the group says it maintains the “right to resist” Israeli occupation.

“France’s role is not to insert itself between the parties in discussions that are, by nature, bilateral and direct,” a French presidency official said.

Speaker vows resistance

Meanwhile, Lebanon’s parliament speaker warned on Tuesday that Israeli forces occupying parts of the country’s south would face resistance if they fail to withdraw, signalling a risk of renewed confrontation ahead of US-mediated talks this week.

Speaker Nabih Berri, Lebanon’s most senior statesman and a Hezbollah ally, told Lebanese newspaper Al Joumhouria that Lebanon could not tolerate losing a metre of land.

If Israel “maintains its occupation, whether of areas, positions, or by drawing yellow lines, it will smell the scent of resistance every day,” said Berri, leader of the Amal Movement.

“If they insist on remaining, they will face resistance, and our history bears witness to that,” Berri said.

‘Totally unacceptable’

On the other hand, ahead of a meeting with EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg, Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said Israel’s actions in Lebanon are “totally unacceptable”.

“Israel’s conduct is completely unacceptable. Of course, we must firmly condemn Hezbollah’s initial attacks, which, in seeking to show solidarity with Iran, dragged Lebanon into a war it did not want, as well as Israel’s disproportionate and indiscriminate response.” He also said Belgium is calling for at least a partial suspension of the EU’s Association’s Agreement with Israel, adding that Belgium is “aware that a full suspension is probably out of reach given the positions of the various European countries”.

‘Applying pressure to disarm Hezbollah’

At the same time, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said that his country’s campaign in Lebanon relied on both military and diplomatic pressure to disarm Iran-allied Hezbollah.

“The overarching goal of the campaign in Lebanon is to disarm Hezbollah and remove the threat to the northern communities (of Israel), through a combination of military and diplomatic measures,” Katz said during a ceremony marking Israel’s national day of remembrance for fallen soldiers.

Published in Dawn, April 22nd, 2026