Global Pulse

标签： Asia

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  • Israel’s Ben Gvir says he feels like the ‘owner’ of Al-Aqsa Mosque compound

    Israel’s Ben Gvir says he feels like the ‘owner’ of Al-Aqsa Mosque compound

    On a recent Sunday, far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir stoked international outrage after delivering inflammatory remarks during a provocative raid on Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound, one of the most sensitive and sacred sites in Islam. Standing within the walled Old City complex, Ben Gvir declared in an official video circulated by his office that he “feels like the owner” of the site, adding that he is actively pushing for expanded access for Jewish worshippers to the holy ground.

    Ben Gvir’s incursion came just days after Israeli authorities reversed an extraordinary 40-day closure that barred all Palestinian worshippers from entering the compound — a closure that blocked Palestinian access during major religious milestones including the holy month of Ramadan, the Eid al-Fitr holiday, and weekly Friday congregational prayers. Following the lifting of the ban, Israeli officials have not only resumed near-daily incursions by ultranationalist Jewish groups into Al-Aqsa, but have extended the length of these visits, a shift that has further alarmed Muslim and regional leaders.

    The Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound has long been governed by the decades-established international Status Quo agreement, a fragile arrangement that explicitly recognizes the site’s exclusive Islamic character, entrusts Muslim religious authorities with full control over worship, access, and site maintenance, and permits Jewish visitation only — not prayer — to preserve the delicate religious balance. For years, however, Israel has systematically violated this agreement, allowing unapproved incursions and private prayer by ultranationalist Israelis inside the compound without the consent of Muslim governing bodies.

    These repeated violations have fueled growing regional fears that Israel is working to fundamentally rewrite the long-standing rules governing the site, potentially reallocating physical space or additional worship time exclusively to Jewish visitors. While Israel’s own chief rabbinate has maintained a centuries-long ban on Jewish prayer at the site, which ultranationalist Jews revere as the location of the ancient Jewish First and Second Temples, ultranationalist factions have increasingly pushed for open Jewish worship, receiving explicit political backing from high-profile government figures including Ben Gvir himself. Ben Gvir’s spokesperson confirmed this week that the minister not only is seeking formal prayer permits for Jewish visitors, but had already conducted personal prayer during his visit to the compound.

    Regional and Palestinian leaders have swiftly condemned Ben Gvir’s actions and comments. Jordan, which holds official custodianship over the Al-Aqsa site under international agreements, condemned the visit as a blatant violation of the Status Quo, calling it “a desecration of its sanctity, a condemnable escalation and an unacceptable provocation.” The office of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas warned that such provocative moves threaten to further destabilize an already volatile region, raising risks of wider unrest along the Israel-Palestinian divide.

  • China satellites track giant iceberg’s end

    China satellites track giant iceberg’s end

    After four decades of drifting and gradual transformation through the Southern Ocean, what was once recognized as the world’s largest iceberg, A23a, has reached the end of its lifecycle, with its final collapse fully captured by China’s network of Fengyun meteorological satellites, according to the China Meteorological Administration.

    When A23a first calved off Antarctica’s Filchner Ice Shelf in 1986, it was a massive frozen structure spanning 4,170 square kilometers, measuring nearly 400 meters thick, and weighing an estimated one trillion tons. For decades, the giant iceberg remained grounded in the Weddell Sea, locked in place and largely unchanged until around 2020, when warming ocean temperatures melted enough surrounding ice to free it from the seafloor. It remained stationary for another two years, however, before significant movement began in late 2022.

    By early 2023, A23a still covered 4,035 square kilometers, earning it an official Guinness World Record as the largest iceberg on the planet at that time. From that point, the iceberg entered a period of steady northward acceleration: it exited the Weddell Sea in 2024 and entered the powerful Antarctic Circumpolar Current, which carried it steadily toward warmer waters. Between June and September 2025, the iceberg suffered multiple large-scale fracture events, shrinking its total area from 3,536 square kilometers at the start of the year to roughly 1,400 square kilometers. By January 2026, further breakup reduced the iceberg’s main remaining body to just 503 square kilometers.

    Propelled by the swift currents of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, A23a continued its rapid drift, experiencing three more major collapse events in its final weeks. Data from the Fengyun-3 meteorological satellite confirms the iceberg completed its final breakup between late March and early April 2026. By April 3, a final collapse event reduced the largest remaining fragment to just 11 kilometers long and 35.2 square kilometers in area — a size that no longer meets the official classification threshold for an iceberg, closing the book on A23a’s 40-year existence.

    A research team led by Zheng Zhaojun, chief expert at the National Satellite Meteorological Center’s International User Service Center, has leveraged high-resolution remote sensing data from Fengyun satellites to track A23a’s trajectory, morphological shifts, and gradual disintegration over its entire lifecycle. The Fengyun-3 satellite series, in particular, has proven uniquely suited for monitoring massive ice formations in polar and subpolar waters, thanks to its on-board Medium Resolution Spectral Imager (MERSI). With a spatial resolution of 250 meters, the instrument can capture both the full outline of giant icebergs and fine-grained details of their surface structure, allowing researchers to track growing structural instability long before major collapse events occur.

    These continuous observations have already revealed new insights into the physical processes that drove A23a’s rapid final breakup, the center noted. Beyond glaciological research, the satellite data has also uncovered notable ecological shifts in the waters surrounding A23a during its final disintegration. Starting in late 2025, satellite imagery captured a gradual “greening” of the ocean in the iceberg’s fragmented ice zone, with expanding green plumes shifting across the sea surface as meltwater flowed into the surrounding waters.

    This visible discoloration is tied directly to phytoplankton blooms, which are triggered when nutrient-rich meltwater from melting icebergs enters the open ocean. Zheng explained that the research team is continuing to analyze the data to build a clearer understanding of the broader ecological impacts of iceberg melt in polar regions. The continuous, high-quality observations of A23a’s entire lifecycle collected by Fengyun satellites will provide a valuable open-access dataset for future research into polar glacial change and polar ecosystem dynamics, Zheng added.

  • Trump says US Navy to immediately blockade all ships attempting to enter or leave Hormuz Strait

    Trump says US Navy to immediately blockade all ships attempting to enter or leave Hormuz Strait

    WASHINGTON – U.S. President Donald Trump has announced a sweeping new order directing the United States Navy to enact an immediate full blockade of all vessels attempting to transit in or out of the strategically critical Strait of Hormuz. The major policy shift was made public via a post on his Truth Social platform on Sunday, confirming that the restrictive maritime measure would go into effect without delay.

    The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway linking the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman, is one of the world’s most vital chokepoints for global energy trade. Roughly 20% of the world’s daily oil supplies and a substantial share of global liquefied natural gas shipments pass through the strait, making any disruption to maritime traffic there capable of sending shockwaves through international energy markets and global supply chains. Trump’s announcement of a full blockade marks an unprecedented escalation of maritime tensions in the already volatile Middle East region, with broad implications for global energy security and international diplomatic relations.

  • Runners measure Xiong’an’s rapid growth at 2026 marathon

    Runners measure Xiong’an’s rapid growth at 2026 marathon

    On a sunny Sunday morning in April 2026, the starting gun for the 2026 Xiong’an Marathon fired precisely at 7:30 a.m., launching the event from the steps of the Xiong’an Urban Computing Center — one of the most iconic modern landmarks of this young urban development zone in northern China’s Hebei Province.

    More than 12,000 long-distance running enthusiasts from every corner of the country converged on Xiong’an, a national-level new area established by Chinese authorities in 2017, for a rare opportunity to experience the region’s staggering nine years of progress with their own steps. Unlike traditional marathon courses that wind through long-established cityscapes, this route was intentionally designed to connect Xiong’an’s most defining development milestones, linking the cutting-edge Urban Computing Center, the ecologically restored Baiyangdian wetland zone, and the newly completed headquarters of central state-owned enterprises relocated from the national capital Beijing.

    Along every stretch of the course, runners were greeted by tangible evidence of Xiong’an’s evolution: fully functional residential amenities that now serve a growing permanent population, state-of-the-art technology hubs driving the area’s innovation-focused economy, and expansive green spaces that underscore the new area’s commitment to sustainable, low-carbon urban development. For many returning participants, the contrasts between visits were striking. A male runner from Hebei’s provincial capital Shijiazhuang, who first ran the Xiong’an Marathon in 2023, shared that the changes he observed over just three years left him stunned. “This year, I’m literally using my feet to measure how much Xiong’an has transformed in that short time,” he said, noting that entirely new landmarks and infrastructure that did not exist three years ago now line the route.

    Beyond the competitive running itself, organizers upgraded the race’s beloved community-focused “Xiong’an Stars” initiative for the 2026 event. Originally launched with a small team of 30 young cheerleaders, the program was expanded this year to 100 children who share the same age as Xiong’an New Area itself. These young supporters lined the course to cheer on exhausted runners, and later took up the honored role of placing finisher medals around the necks of athletes who crossed the finish line, adding a heartfelt, intergenerational touch to the event.

    To further enrich the participant and spectator experience, organizers worked with nearly 50 local businesses to set up public booths along the course perimeter, offering regional specialty foods, traditional and modern cultural products, and interactive activities that brought extra energy to the race day. Local residents turned out in droves, lining the sidewalks outside the course barriers to cheer on every runner, creating a warm, lively atmosphere that surprised many first-time visitors to the new area.

    From the sweeping transformation of once undeveloped land into a modern, sustainable smart city to the childlike enthusiasm of the young volunteers and the warm welcome from local residents, the 2026 Xiong’an Marathon did more than host a competitive race: it offered a living snapshot of Xiong’an’s vibrant, dynamic growth, and highlighted the new area’s ongoing journey toward its ambitious vision for a brighter, more innovative urban future.

  • Tucker Carlson slams UK’s Palestine Action ban, calls Keir Starmer ‘enslaved’

    Tucker Carlson slams UK’s Palestine Action ban, calls Keir Starmer ‘enslaved’

    In a tense Sunday morning BBC interview that has sparked widespread debate, prominent former Fox News host Tucker Carlson launched a scathing rebuke of the British government’s decision to ban pro-Palestinian direct action group Palestine Action, pushing back against host Victoria Derbyshire’s challenges to his claims.

    When Derbyshire asked Carlson – a longstanding vocal critic of the U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran – whether Prime Minister Keir Starmer had made the correct call on the ban, Carlson offered a blunt, controversial response: “I don’t think Keir Starmer makes any calls about anything. Keir Starmer’s not in control of Britain. No, Keir Starmer is every bit as enslaved as Donald Trump is.”

    Carlson went on to argue that current British law effectively criminalizes open criticism of the Israeli government, claiming: “It is a crime for which you can be arrested in Britain right now, criticising Israel. If you say you’re for Palestine Action, you can be arrested. A lot of people have been arrested. So in other words, it is not legal in Britain to criticise another country.”

    Derbyshire immediately pushed back, refuting the claim as untrue. When Carlson pressed that hundreds of people had indeed been arrested for critical speech about Israel, Derbyshire clarified that arrests stemmed from Palestine Action’s proscribed status, not criticism itself. Undeterred, Carlson fired back: “Why is it banned? It’s banned because the Israeli government wanted it banned.”

    The context of the ban dates back to last July, when Starmer’s incoming Labour government officially proscribed Palestine Action as a terrorist-linked organization. Under the order, membership in the group or public expression of support for it carries a maximum criminal penalty of 14 years in prison. While the UK High Court ruled the ban unlawful in February, the government secured permission to appeal the ruling, with the appeal hearing scheduled for April 28 and 29.

    In the weeks since the ban first took effect, more than 1,600 people have been arrested for holding public signs reading “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action,” according to on-the-ground reports. The movement against the ban reached a peak Saturday, when mass demonstrations converged on central London’s Trafalgar Square, where at least 523 people were arrested in a single day in coordinated civil disobedience. Protesters set up camping chairs on the steps of the square, all displaying identical hand-painted signs declaring their support for the banned group. Middle East Eye, which first reported on the demonstration, documented that many of the arrested protesters were elderly and disabled – including frail grey-haired attendees and participants using crutches, who were physically dragged away by police officers. Some demonstrators dressed as early 20th century British Suffragettes to draw a parallel between their fight for political voice and the historic suffrage movement.

    During the interview, Carlson softened his tone to note that despite frequent criticism of British policy, he retains affection for the country, where he has family ties. He went on to argue that British citizens have been unfairly compromised by U.S. foreign policy influence: “I don’t think that Britons understand just how badly they’ve been shafted by the United States. And I am ashamed of that and I hope that we do everything we can to rectify it. I hope that our next president strikes a far more conciliatory and cooperative tone and tries to help Britain, because it has a lot of problems that will be very obvious by the next time there’s a presidential election in my country.”

    The controversy over the Palestine Action ban also intersects with broader Middle East military tensions. When the U.S.-led campaign against Iran began, Starmer initially hesitated to grant the U.S. access to British military bases for strike operations. Ultimately, however, the UK relented: the bases have been used for strikes on Iranian missile sites, and for the past nearly three weeks, they have supported U.S. operations aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping chokepoint.

  • Former deputy director of Xizang people’s congress under investigation

    Former deputy director of Xizang people’s congress under investigation

    China’s top anti-corruption watchdog announced on Sunday that Ding Yexian, a 65-year-old former deputy director of the Standing Committee of the Xizang Autonomous Region People’s Congress, is facing investigation over suspected severe violations of discipline and national law. Currently, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission are conducting a combined disciplinary review and official investigation into Ding’s conduct, according to the official announcement.

    Public career records show that Ding built his decades-long professional career entirely in Xizang, starting his first work assignment in the region back in 1978. Over his years in public service, he held a series of senior leadership positions: he served as vice chairman of the Xizang Autonomous Regional Government from September 2010 to June 2013, after which he was promoted to the post of executive vice chairman of the region. In January 2021, Ding took up his final public position as deputy director of the Xizang Autonomous Region People’s Congress Standing Committee, the region’s top legislative body.

    This investigation is part of China’s sustained national campaign to root out corruption across all levels of public office, holding current and former senior officials accountable for any violations of disciplinary and legal regulations.

  • Intl forum discusses role of peony flowers in cultural exchange and mutual understanding

    Intl forum discusses role of peony flowers in cultural exchange and mutual understanding

    In the heart of China’s famed “Peony Capital” of Heze, Shandong province, global stakeholders from academia, government, and cultural institutions gathered on Saturday for the 2026 Heze Peony International Communication Forum, a landmark event designed to frame the iconic peony flower as a powerful cross-cultural bridge fostering global mutual understanding. Bringing together officials, scholars and industry specialists from nations including Russia and Italy, the forum builds on centuries of peony cultivation heritage in Heze to open new avenues for people-to-people connection across borders.

    This gathering marks a core component of the 2026 World Peony Conference, a 30-day global event that launched the previous day under the unifying theme “Blooming Across the World, Cultivating Shared Beauty”. The conference and accompanying forum shine a global spotlight on Heze’s unparalleled legacy as one of the world’s preeminent centers of peony cultivation: the region boasts more than 1,500 years of continuous peony growing history, with 1,308 officially registered varieties spanning nine distinct color groups and 10 unique flower forms. Beyond its cultural significance, Heze’s peony industry has grown into a major economic driver, with the total output value spanning from primary cultivation to high-value processed peony goods surpassing 13 billion yuan in 2025.

    The forum opened with a symbolic act of cross-cultural friendship, as Tatiana Bakurova, principal of Oryol State First High School in Russia, presented an original oil painting of peonies titled *Flower of Friendship* — a work created collectively by her school’s teachers and students. In return, the Publicity Department of Heze gifted the Russian delegation a traditional handcrafted peony paper-cut artwork, a tangible example of China’s intangible cultural heritage tied to the iconic bloom. This gift exchange set the collaborative tone for the day’s discussions.

    In his opening address, Zhang Lun, secretary of the Heze Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, emphasized the universal appeal of floral aesthetics. “Flowers are an aesthetic language that transcends national borders,” Zhang noted. He called for coordinated collective action to advance two complementary goals: expanding global access to Heze’s peony varieties and cultural products, while welcoming international floral expertise and cultural exchange to Heze. This dual approach, Zhang argued, would inject fresh momentum into global efforts to build a harmonious shared global community rooted in mutual respect and understanding.

  • No deal after US, Iran end marathon talks

    No deal after US, Iran end marathon talks

    After 21 hours of intensive, overnight diplomatic negotiations in Islamabad, Pakistan, the highest-level direct talks between the United States and Iran in more than a decade have concluded without a breakthrough, leaving a fragile two-week ceasefire in their six-week conflict on the brink of collapse. The war, which has already claimed thousands of lives, has roiled global energy markets and sent international oil prices soaring, casting deep uncertainty over regional stability.

    Hosted by Pakistani mediators, the April 12 talks marked the most senior official engagement between Washington and Tehran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, raising cautious hopes across the international community for de-escalation. The conflict erupted in late February after the U.S. and its closest Middle East ally Israel launched pre-emptive military strikes against Iran during an ongoing round of nuclear negotiations that included former U.S. president Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and then-senior advisor Jared Kushner. Iran responded with widespread retaliatory action, dragging the entire Middle East into open conflict.

    Disagreements over core sticking points derailed any path to a final agreement, according to officials and media reports from both sides. Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency blamed what it described as “excessive American demands” for the collapsed talks, while other Iranian outlets noted that while incremental progress was made on secondary issues, two major flashpoints—the future of the strategic Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s nuclear program—proved impossible to reconcile. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei framed the negotiations as having taken place against a backdrop of deep long-standing distrust between the two nations, adding that a comprehensive deal was never a realistic outcome for a single round of talks. Still, he emphasized that diplomatic channels would remain open, noting that “Diplomacy never ends.”

    JD Vance, U.S. Vice President and leader of the American delegation, told reporters that Iran had rejected Washington’s “final and best offer” during the discussions. “The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement, and I think that’s bad news for Iran much more than it’s bad for the U.S,” Vance said, offering no clarity on how the U.S. would act once the 14-day Pakistan-brokered ceasefire expires. Iran’s delegation was led by Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, a composition that analysts had previously viewed as a clear signal of Tehran’s seriousness about reaching a negotiated settlement. Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and a leading expert on US-Iran relations, noted ahead of the talks that the size and seniority of the Iranian delegation “signal both Tehran’s sincerity in these negotiations and its clear expectations and confidence.”

    Pakistani mediators, who spearheaded the efforts to bring the two adversaries to the table, have publicly urged both sides to extend the ceasefire and continue negotiating. “We hope that the two sides continue with a positive spirit to achieve durable peace and prosperity for the entire region and beyond,” Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said. A senior Pakistani source involved in the negotiations told Reuters that the talks saw sharp shifts in tone, with tensions rising and falling repeatedly across the marathon overnight session that began Saturday.

    Going into the negotiations, unconfirmed reports emerged that the U.S. had agreed to unfreeze billions of dollars in Iranian assets held in Qatar and other foreign banks, a claim a senior U.S. official quickly denied. Tehran has laid out clear non-negotiable demands in the talks: full sovereign control over the Strait of Hormuz, war reparations for American and Israeli strikes, and a region-wide ceasefire that includes an end to Israeli military operations in Lebanon. Israel has refused to include the Lebanon conflict in any truce with Iran, and new Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon on Saturday and Sunday killed 18 people, pushing the total death toll from Israel’s campaign in the country past 2,000 since the outbreak of the wider war.

    Control over the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s daily seaborne oil trade passed before the conflict, has emerged as Iran’s most powerful strategic leverage in the negotiations. Since the war began, Iran has effectively restricted access to the waterway, with only 12 vessels recorded passing through since the ceasefire took effect, compared to more than 100 per day pre-war. Tensions over the strategic chokepoint flared even during the talks: the U.S. military announced that two American destroyers had transited the strait ahead of planned mine-clearing operations, marking the first U.S. military passage since the war began. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Naval Force quickly rejected the U.S. claim and issued a stark warning. “Any attempt by military vessels to cross the Strait of Hormuz will be confronted firmly and decisively,” the command said in a statement.

  • Brazilian counsellor highlights Heze peonies’ cultural values

    Brazilian counsellor highlights Heze peonies’ cultural values

    Against a backdrop of growing global demand for cross-cultural people-to-people exchange, the 2026 Heze Peony International Communication Forum kicked off on April 11 in Heze, a city in East China’s Shandong Province long renowned as China’s “Peony Capital”. The event drew diplomatic representatives, cultural scholars and industry practitioners from across China and around the world, all gathering to explore how the iconic flower can act as a soft medium to strengthen cross-border connection and mutual understanding.

    Among the participating international guests was Rodrigo Mendes Araujo, Counsellor for Energy, Mines and Intellectual Property at the Embassy of Brazil in Beijing. In his remarks at the forum, Araujo centered his discussion on the evolving global role of Heze’s peony culture, focusing particular attention on China’s innovative approach to revitalizing traditional cultural heritage.

    Araujo emphasized that China has achieved a remarkable balance between cultural preservation and economic development, successfully transforming centuries-old peony heritage into a dynamic, thriving creative and commercial industry. Beyond domestic economic benefits, he noted, this development has also positioned peony culture as a powerful, approachable bridge for international cultural exchange. He added that forums focused on Heze peonies create a valuable, accessible entry point for Brazilian audiences and the broader Latin American public to dive into the deep historical roots of Chinese traditional culture, breaking down cultural barriers through shared appreciation for natural beauty and cultural tradition.

    As one of China’s most iconic traditional flowers, the peony has been embedded in Chinese art, literature and cultural identity for more than 1,500 years. Heze, which is home to over 1200 varieties of peony cultivated across more than 40,000 hectares of farmland, has built peony culture into a core part of its regional identity and international branding, hosting annual international exchange events to share the flower’s cultural significance with global audiences.

  • How talks broke down in Islamabad, with both sides blaming each other

    How talks broke down in Islamabad, with both sides blaming each other

    After nearly a full day of closed-door, high-stakes negotiations in Islamabad that marked the highest-level diplomatic encounter between Washington and Tehran in half a century, marathon ceasefire talks between the United States and Iran concluded Sunday morning without a final agreement, leaving core strategic disagreements unresolved and casting uncertainty over future diplomatic engagement.

    The negotiating teams brought unprecedented senior representation to the table: the U.S. delegation was led by Vice President JD Vance, with participation from special envoy Steve Witkoff and senior advisor Jared Kushner, while Iran was represented by parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Throughout the more than 21 hours of discussions, the U.S. team maintained continuous communication with President Donald Trump, who adopted a detached public posture ahead of the talks, telling reporters that a potential deal made “no difference” to him as he traveled to Miami for a Ultimate Fighting Championship event. Trump remained at the venue watching the fight as Vance addressed the press following the negotiation collapse.

    Speaking to reporters after the talks, Vance acknowledged that no consensus had been reached, framing the stalled outcome as far more detrimental to Iran than to the United States. He emphasized that Washington left the table with its final, best offer on the table, and would await Tehran’s response to the proposal. The core U.S. demand, Vance explained, remains a long-term, binding commitment from Iran that it will never pursue a nuclear weapon or the capabilities to rapidly develop one – a goal he said has not yet been met. While Vance noted that Iran’s pre-existing enrichment facilities and previous nuclear infrastructure had already been destroyed, he stressed that the remaining sticking point is a fundamental change in Iranian willingness to rule out nuclear weapons development permanently, not just for the near term. “We haven’t seen that yet. We hope that we will,” he added.

    Iran’s perspective on the stalemate differs sharply. According to a report from Iran’s Tasnim News Agency citing an anonymous informed source, Tehran claims the “ball is in America’s court”, noting that Iranian negotiators put forward multiple reasonable initiatives during the talks. The report also warned that the status of the Strait of Hormuz – a critical global oil chokepoint currently controlled by Iran – will remain unchanged unless Washington accepts a deal that aligns with Tehran’s definition of reasonable terms.

    In a post on the social platform X, Ghalibaf reinforced Iran’s position, saying that while Tehran entered the talks with good faith and a willingness to compromise, decades of historical trauma from two prior conflicts left the Iranian delegation deeply distrustful of U.S. intentions, and the U.S. side ultimately failed to earn that trust in this round of talks. Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei noted that expecting a final, comprehensive deal from a single negotiating round was always unrealistic, given weeks of prior armed conflict and decades of deep mutual mistrust between the two nations. While he confirmed that the two sides reached preliminary understandings on a small number of issues, he said two to three core questions remain unaddressed, and any future progress will depend on the U.S. demonstrating genuine good faith and recognizing Iran’s legitimate rights and national interests. Baghaei also added that diplomatic channels remain open, and Iran will continue consultations with Pakistan and other regional partner states.

    Pakistan, which served as the host for the historic talks, has called on both sides to maintain the current ceasefire and return to dialogue with a constructive approach. Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar stressed that reaching a durable, long-term peace for the region must be the top priority for both parties, and confirmed that Pakistan will continue to act as a neutral facilitator for future negotiations if needed.

    Key U.S. allies have expressed disappointment over the lack of a breakthrough. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong called on both nations to uphold the existing ceasefire and resume negotiations to find common ground. British Health Secretary Wes Streeting echoed that sentiment, saying that while the lack of an immediate breakthrough is disappointing, diplomatic efforts should continue. “As ever in diplomacy, you’re failing until you succeed. So while these talks may not have ended in success, doesn’t mean there isn’t merit in continuing to try,” Streeting said.

    To date, no date or location has been scheduled for a potential second round of talks, leaving regional stability and nuclear non-proliferation efforts in limbo.