Both the American and the Iranian delegations are expected to begin peace talks in Islamabad tomorrow after the announcement of the Pakistan-brokered ceasefire. The US team is led by Vice President J.D. Vance and includes President Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner. The Iranian team includes Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi. Mohammad Ghalibaf is a former IRGC (Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps) commander with close ties to the hardliners.
The Islamabad meeting has come as a result of the tireless efforts of the Pakistani leaders to stop the war since it started on February 28 with the US-Israeli attack on Iran. But these efforts took on special urgency on the morning of April 7, when President Donald Trump posted an ominous warning on Truth Social: "A Whole Civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again". "We will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the world", Trump added. The ultimatum to Iran sent shockwaves around the world because it is a fact that the president of the United States controls one of the largest stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). The post came out at 8 AM US East Coast time when it was 8 PM in Islamabad. Immediately, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir stepped up their frantic efforts to save the world as Trump's deadline approached. The world heaved a sigh of relief when, about an hour before Trump's deadline, the US president acknowledged and positively responded to a Pakistani proposal to accept a two-week ceasefire which was also approved by the Iranian leadership. The oil price dropped and the stock markets rallied in the hope of a permanent end to hostilities.
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| President Trump's Post Accepting Ceasefire with Iran |
After the ceasefire announcement two days ago, Pakistani leaders have organized a US-Iran meeting scheduled for Saturday in Islamabad. JD Vance, the Vice President of the United States is traveling to Pakistan to lead the US delegation for talks with Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi.
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| Iran's 10-Point Proposal For Peace |
Iran's 10-point proposal that Trump referred to in his post as the basis of US-Iran talks includes the following:
1. Guarantee that Iran will not be attacked again.
2. Permanent end to war, not just a ceasefire.
3. End to Israeli attacks in Lebanon.
4. Lifting of all US sanctions on Iran.
5. End to all regional fighting against Iranian allies.
6. Iran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz
7. Iran would impose a $2 million fee per ship transiting Hormuz.
8. Iran would split these fees with Oman.
9. Iran would establish rules for safe passage through Hormuz.
10. Iran would use Hormuz fees for reconstruction instead of reparations.
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| Europeans and Japanese Leaders Thank You Letter to Pakistan |
These are high-stakes negotiations that could fail but just the fact that the two sides have agreed to talk gives the world some hope of a better outcome. Meanwhile, many world leaders have thanked the Pakistani leaders for stepping up at a crucial time. But many in Pakistan's neighboring country of India are very unhappy about Pakistan's role in it. For example, Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar has derided Pakistan as a "dalal" (pimp) country. He is clearly unhappy that his country's campaign to isolate Pakistan has backfired. In fact, Pakistan's geopolitical profile has particularly risen after the country's robust response to what the Indian Prime Minister called "Operation Sindoor" which he launched against Pakistan last year in May.
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Very well written.
ReplyDeleteI think two events diminished any leverage India might have had:
1. India losing both militarily and reputation wise in the May 2025 short battle with Pakistan.
2. India establishing a close and strategic relationship with Israel, culminating in Modi’s visit to Israel. This immediately made India a non trustworthy country in the eyes of Iran.
India never spoke a word of condemnation against the US-Israel attack on Iran. Thus India squandered considerable goodwill it had created for itself in Iran over decades.
India could not offer mediation in this dispute as it had itself refused to acknowledge mediation by Trump in stopping the India Pakistan battle.
Jaishankar is in the slammer, the dog house.
In the wrong place at the wrong time!
Would Trump discard the whole world's appeals and listen to Sharifay ?
ReplyDeletehttps://youtu.be/dyj0ZVhG1AE?si=9fxExogPYQT4Z902
Shams: Would Trump discard the whole world's appeals and listen to Sharifay ?
ReplyDeleteThere are many in the world, including one of our neighbors, who want to deny credit to Pakistan for anything! I’d rather pay attention to who the Iranians themselves are giving credit to.
X post by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi thanking Shehbaz Sharif:
https://x.com/araghchi/status/2041655156215799821?s=20
On behalf of the Islamic Republic of Iran, I express gratitude and appreciation for my dear brothers HE Prime Minister of Pakistan Sharif and HE Field Marshal Munir for their tireless efforts to end the war
in the region. In response to the brotherly request of PM Sharif in his tweet, and considering the request by the U.S. for negotiations based on its 15-point proposal as well as announcement by POTUS about acceptance of the general framework of Iran's 10-point proposal as a basis for negotiations, I hereby declare on behalf of
Iran's Supreme National Security Council: If attacks against Iran are halted, our Powerful Armed
Forces will cease their defensive operations. For a period of two weeks, safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be possible via coordination with Iran's Armed Forces and with due consideration of
technical limitations.
Seyed Abbas Araghchi Minister of Foreign Affairs
Islamic Republic of Iran
Atif Mian
ReplyDelete@AtifRMian
How Pakistan made the world over 3 trillion dollars richer
On April 7, the world edged toward Trump's 8pm ultimatum that "a whole civilization will die tonight." By mid-afternoon, Polymarket gave less than a 5% chance for a ceasefire. But then in a flurry of last-minute diplomacy led by Pakistan's PM Shehbaz Sharif, ceasefire odds shifted from near-impossibility to 100%, as both U.S. and Iranian leadership publicly acknowledged the important role played by Pakistan.
The sharp shift in probability of ceasefire from near-zero to certainty, allows us to estimate cleanly the market value of Pakistan's successful diplomacy. There was a sharp jump of 2.9% in S&P500 around the ceasefire announcement. The reaction was similar the world over.
Global markets represent about $125T, so a 2.9% jump represents a gain of 3.6 trillion dollars for the world. Pakistan helped create TEN times its own GDP for the world!
For me, the best part is not the trillions of dollar, but seeing Pakistan on the world stage as a peace maker.
I hope Pakistan runs with this new identity by promoting peace not only abroad, but also at home. That means moving away from politics of division and exclusion, and treating every citizen as its own.
A beautiful view of Pakistan’s capital. The violet ones are Jacaranda trees in #Islamabad, the host city of #US-#Iran peace talks in #Pakistan. These trees bloom during late spring & early summer (April to June), transforming streets and parks into scenic, violet-carpeted landscapes. These trees thrive in the city's climate, creating a picturesque, serene environment that draws visitors.
ReplyDeletehttps://x.com/haqsmusings/status/2042981577295081704?s=46&t=Uy6jyUH6DlEyIPi6Mq6AGQ
I love those trees! They grow in Pretoria and Johannesburg as well.
ReplyDeleteSpring is always a beautiful site with the purple Jacarandas showing off their splendor
I have seen Jacaranda trees in full splendor in São Paulo and Rio twice, in 2010 and 2012. Brazil is an amazing country.
ReplyDeletePunit Pania
ReplyDelete@Punit_Pania
It's so embarrassing to see Godi Media still trying ridicule Pakistan's role in the ceasefire talks. Sometimes, it's better to shut up than expose your desperation.
https://x.com/Punit_Pania/status/2042530307451293930?s=20
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Punit Pania
@Punit_Pania
No mugshots of Islam Hruday Samrat MunirBhai or Mananiya Pujaniya Shehbaz Dada on the hoardings. Pakistan could learn so much from our megalomaniac leaders and their mob of sycophants.
https://x.com/Punit_Pania/status/2043096039780159657?s=20
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Ashok Swain
@ashoswai
I am not a fan of Munir or Sharif. But, the way they are playing the role as hosts of Islamabad talks, meeting & greeting the foreign leaders with grace & dignified manner, it will make any Pakistani happy. No jumping, no hugging, no Khi Khi like their Indian counterpart, Modi.
https://x.com/ashoswai/status/2042917355357921310?s=20
India cracks down on satirists for turning its prime minister into a punch line
ReplyDeletehttps://www.npr.org/2026/04/11/g-s1-116582/india-cracks-down-satirists-turning-prime-minister-punch-line-modi
MUMBAI, India — For years, supporters of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi carefully cultivated his public image as a strongman and hard taskmaster — a leader who puts in 18‑hour days to propel India toward superpower status.
To illustrate India's rise, they tout Modi's rapport with other world leaders — like when he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in late February. Modi was generous with his signature hugs and laughs, and Netanyahu effusive with praise for his "great friend."
Yet three days after their meeting, Israel and the U.S. launched their war on Iran, sending India's currency and stock market tumbling. Iran also restricted the movement of fuel ships in the Strait of Hormuz, forcing Indians to scramble for cooking gas and shuttering many restaurants and factories.
The Indian government, led by Modi, appeared to be caught off guard by the conflict.
And then, the memes began.
Indian satirists, cartoonists and comedians flocked to X, Instagram and Facebook to mock Modi.
Cartoonist Satish Acharya drew Modi wearing a gag and shutting his eyes to news about the war. Instagram user Namaskaar reworked a popular hymn to appeal to Modi to use his friendship with Netanyahu to resolve India's fuel crunch. Comedian Pulkit Mani performed a sharp mimicry of Modi's exuberance and awkward hugs while meeting world leaders.
Indian censors are also watching.
Several accounts and posts, including those of Acharya and Mani, were withheld in India. In emails shared by dozens of users, host platforms X and Meta claimed they were doing this as per legal requests by Indian authorities.
The blocked accounts include those belonging to popular independent journalists and satirists with hundreds of thousands of followers, and even one legislator from the opposition Trinamool Congress party.
"It's really stuff that's critical of the government," says Prateek Waghre, an internet policy researcher with Tech Global Institute. He says the orders often come from both the police and the federal ministry, and in most cases, users aren't told why their content is being blocked.
https://x.com/sagarikaghose/status/2035910587658727761?s=20
A three-hour takedown deadline
Policy experts say such rapid takedown orders are possible because India last year tightened an existing law requiring social media companies to remove posts flagged as illegal by authorities, and shortened the compliance window from 36 hours to just three. A new set of rules proposed by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology now goes even further, seeking to restrict creators themselves while making platforms directly accountable for the content they host.
The ministry, X and Meta did not respond to NPR's request for comment or agree to an interview.
India's content takedown regime is "the most aggressive timeline for any jurisdiction in the world," says Akash Karmakar, a New Delhi-based lawyer who specializes in technology law. A three-hour takedown deadline leaves it open to misuse, he says. And while users can challenge the orders in Indian high courts, "the chances of you being able to get a court reprieve to even the most perverse order in a matter of three hours is 0.00%," he adds.
That's what happened to Prateek Sharma, who runs the satirical account Dr Nimo Yadav on X.
In March, X emailed him in the middle of the night, saying the Indian authorities had asked the platform to block his account. When the high court heard his challenge days later, a government counsel defended the government's request, saying the posts portrayed Modi in "bad taste."
Like when Sharma wrote, "Elect a clown, expect a circus."
On Monday, the Delhi High Court directed X to reinstate his account, while keeping the specific posts cited in the initial order blocked.
Last I heard,
ReplyDelete"US and Iran fail to reach agreement after historic peace talks in Pakistan, Vance says"
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/cn4v0xm9y0kt?post=asset%3A210297c5-bd23-418b-9870-30a760758dc5#post
But regardless of the outcome of the talks I would still appreciate the efforts and proactiveness shown by Pakistan in bringing the warring parties to the negotiating table since an escalation or continuation of this war is in nobody's interest (except the Israelis perhaps).
And I would also acknowledge that Jaishankar's comments on Pakistan's involvement was rather undiplomatic and crass considering that a speedy conclusion to the conflict (or a ceasefire atleast) is in India's interest as well. I expected better from a Foreign Minister and a career diplomat. Instead of the comments he made, he could have said something more diplomatic to explain why India isn't trying to mediate despite the economic repercussions of the war at home.
That said, its plainly obvious that for Pakistan the stakes in this conflict were always higher than for India due to geography and its geo-political situation - a shared border with Iran, the situation on its northern and eastern borders, and the implications of Saudi-Pakistan defense pact. Had the Iran war escalated into a direct confrontation between Iran and the Gulf Arab states - especially Saudi Arabia - Pakistan would have found itself in an uneviable position of having to pick sides due to the defense pact. And that would have meant a state of conflict on THREE of its borders. So, Pakistan *had* to intervene, if only for the sake of its own national security interests. And the fact that Pakistan has more cosy relations with the Trump administration than India would have been an added inducement to play the mediator as well.
On the other hand, despite the economic impact that an escalation in Iran war would have at home, India wouldn't have wanted to go anywhere near this powderkeg due to the Trump factor alone. Even if US and Iran were to reach some kind of agreement today to halt the war, Trump in his next mood swing might choose to tear it to shreds once again and bomb Iran regardless tommorrow.
Best is that India distances itself from Jaishankar and Modi to limit further damage. They are abusing diplomatic norms and even dignity of the country to mislead a domestic fanbase
DeleteZen, as they say, all politics is local. Everything politicians do is for domestic consumption.
ReplyDeleteIt takes a statesman to think long term and on abigger scale.
G. Ali
Pakistan Looks to Host Crude Reserve Sites of Gulf Oil Producers
ReplyDeletehttps://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Pakistan-Looks-to-Host-Crude-Reserve-Sites-of-Gulf-Oil-Producers.html
Pakistan is encouraging oil producers from the Persian Gulf to set up crude reserve buffers at a planned Energy City near one of its ports, The Express Tribune reported on Friday.
"In case of emergencies like the breakout of war, Pakistan will have the first right to utilise the oil reserves," a Pakistani official told the publication.
Pakistan, which doesn't have crude reserves at present to act as a buffer in case of emergencies, has been reeling from the Middle East crisis and negotiating with Iran to secure the passage of cargoes through the Strait of Hormuz.
Pakistan plans to set up a so-called Energy City at the Gwadar Port, and Kuwait has already expressed interest in building up crude reserves there, according to The Express Tribune.
Pakistan "plans to set up an Energy City where strategic oil reserves will be built along with establishing LNG and LPG terminals," the official told the outlet.
Pakistan's Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs, Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry, has asked Kuwaiti officials to explore crude, LPG, and LNG storage sites with the potential creation of rental-based bonded storage facilities, which could support regional trade flows and improve the supply-chain efficiency of energy trade.
Pakistan – which has been mediating U.S.-Iran talks in recent weeks – has been negotiating to have Qatari LNG moved out of the Persian Gulf for the first time since the war began.
Pakistan has relied on Qatar’s term LNG supply for years, but the war in the Middle East and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz have led to the shutdown of Qatari LNG production and exports.
Without Qatar’s LNG, Pakistan has been reeling from an intensifying energy crisis with power outages and fuel rationing.
Thanks to a bilateral Pakistan-Iran agreement, two vessels carrying Qatari LNG are now en route to Pakistan after successfully passing through the Strait of Hormuz in recent days.
Ashok Swain
ReplyDelete@ashoswai
Pakistan is a major regional power and important partner -EU
Another ‘success’ story of Modi isolating Pakistan globally!
https://x.com/ashoswai/status/2061425026771894313?s=20
-------------------
Kaja Kallas
@kajakallas
Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts between the U.S. and Iran have helped prevent a return to full-blown war.
The EU is ready to contribute to a sustainable and peaceful resolution.
We bring economic leverage, hard-won nuclear expertise, longstanding relationships with Gulf partners, and direct engagement with Iran itself.
My press remarks with
@MIshaqDar50
in Islamabad ↓
https://x.com/kajakallas/status/2061394195907035448?s=20
--------------
Shashank Mattoo
@MattooShashank
EU foreign policy chief pitches for stronger ties to Pakistan
“The EU remains Pakistan’s largest export market, bigger than the US and China combined. 2026 offers opportunity to move EU-Pakistan relations onto stronger footing,” says Kaja Kallas
https://x.com/kajakallas/status/2061394195907035448?s=20
---------------
The Thursday Times
@thursday_times
Translated from Urdu
European Commission Vice President Kaja Kallas:
Pakistan is the country that benefits the most from GSP Plus, which shows that this partnership is not only important from a trade perspective but also a significant source of development.
Relations can be further deepened in several sectors beyond trade and investment between the European Union and Pakistan, including strengthening the capacity to deal with crises, cooperation on climate change, digital infrastructure, migration and mobility,
and long-term partnerships.
https://x.com/thursday_times/status/2061369206294138902?s=20
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Arab News Pakistan
@arabnewspk
#WATCH: European Union’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas praised Pakistan’s mediation between the US and Iran, saying its diplomatic efforts helped prevent a return to “full-blown war.” https://arab.news/99usb
https://x.com/arabnewspk/status/2061406507720163481?s=20
--------------
EU’s top diplomat credits Pakistan’s mediation for preventing ‘full-blown’ US-Iran war
https://www.arabnews.pk/node/2645642/pakistan
Kaja Kallas, EU’s foreign policy chief, co-hosted Strategic Dialogue with Pakistan’s deputy PM in Islamabad today
Kallas says due to Islamabad’s efforts, there is a “tenuous diplomatic opening” to extend ceasefire, reopen Hormuz strait
ISLAMABAD: The European Union’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on Monday praised Pakistan’s role in mediating between the United States and Iran, saying Islamabad’s diplomatic efforts helped prevent a return to “full-blown war” and were widely recognized across Europe.
Kallas was speaking at a joint press conference with Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar in Islamabad. EU’s EU high representative for foreign affairs arrived in Islamabad on Monday to co-chair the 8th EU-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue meeting to review bilateral ties and cooperation across various sectors such as trade, investment, human rights, labor mobility, climate change and others.
Pakistan has positioned itself as the chief mediator between the US and Iran ever since their conflict began in February. Islamabad hosted the first round of talks between both sides in April while it has relayed messages between Washington and Tehran in hopes of ending the war that has driven global oil prices higher and disrupted energy supplies.
“Pakistan has been the main mediator between the United States and Iran, and your diplomatic efforts have helped to prevent a return to full-blown war on several occasions,” Kallas told reporters during the joint press conference.
“And these efforts are much recognized and appreciated across Europe.”
Iran has virtually closed the Strait of Hormuz since the war began in February, pushing prices of petroleum products and fertilizers higher. The US has demanded Iran reopen the strait, through which roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil and gas supplies pass through.
@vali_nasr
ReplyDeleteIn this article Narges Bajoghli and I argue that the war has brought about a generational change in Iran’s leadership, bringing to the fore men with different experiences and outlook on state, society and foreign policy. This new generation is now confident that it ways has won significant strategic wins which it intends to translate not only into a new regional order but also a new domestic order and social contract with the population.
The scale of the war and it took for Iran to survive it and fore the U.S. into a stalemate has also changed Iranian society in profound way. Social grievances remain but will express themselves in this new context. We explain why pre-war ways of understanding Iran don't explain it anymore.
“The emergent Islamic Republic will remain highly authoritarian. But the categories that Western analysts have often used to describe the Islamic Republic’s various factions—hard-liner versus moderates, ideologues versus reformists—will be less accurate than ever. The new Islamic Republic’s priorities, and how it pursues them, will be shaped by the specific experiences of its two wars with the United States and Israel: the losses Iran sustained, the confidence its leadership gained, and the new social contract the fighting has made necessary and possible.”
https://x.com/vali_nasr/status/2062138117469929615?s=61&t=mgTxrmITUbpo9NntN5677Q
————-
Iran’s New Grand Strategy
How a Remade Islamic Republic Will Reshape the Middle East
Narges Bajoghli and Vali Nasr
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/iran/irans-new-grand-strategy
At the outset of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran in February 2026, the Islamic Republic appeared battered and weakened. Large-scale bombing had destroyed industry and infrastructure, and a U.S. naval blockade had devastated an already ailing economy. In early March, U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters on Air Force One, “We’ve decimated their whole evil empire.” Several weeks later, he declared “total and complete victory.”
Three months in, however, the picture looks quite different. Iran retains its military and industrial capacity, and despite Trump’s call for Iranians to topple the regime, no popular uprising is in the offing. The war’s initial aim—to deliver a death blow to the Islamic Republic—has proved unattainable.
Rather than breaking Iran, the crucible of war has transformed it in unanticipated ways. To survive and establish new strategic advantages, the Islamic Republic had to adapt and innovate, changing how it waged war, ran the state, and managed society. And it had to do so with unprecedented speed. Tehran is now confident in what it has achieved and determined to consolidate those gains at home and abroad. The war has given rise to a new Iran, one that will reshape the Middle East and influence the course of geopolitics for years to come.
A QUIET SUCCESSION
Sensing that the Iranian regime was weakened by Israel’s 12-day war in June 2025 and a popular uprising in January 2026, Israel and the United States launched airstrikes on Iran on February 28. They expected a quick victory through targeted assassinations of Iran’s leadership. But decapitation did not produce regime collapse. Instead, it opened the door for a new generation to take over.