ABU DHABI, 8th April, 2026 (WAM) -- The United Arab Emirates is closely following the announcement by U. S.
Pakistani officials defy sceptics to lead a breakthrough in negotiations and help avert catastrophe in Iran Middle East crisis – live updates Pakistan’s leaders had almost lost hope. After more than two weeks of frantic negotiations, phonecalls and diplomatic summits to try to end the US-Israeli war with Iran, it looked like the conflict might instead be escalating into Islamabad’s worst nightmare. In a cabinet meeting held around 5pm on Tuesday, Pakistan’s prime minister Shehbaz Sharif was morose.
Democrats and die-hard pro-Israel voices skewer Iran ceasefire, as Republicans back Trump Submitted by Sean Mathews on Wed, 04/08/2026 - 17:51 Republican lawmakers spun the fragile Iran ceasefire as a Trumpian victory, but pro-Israel voices and Democratic sceptics called it a defeat Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli air strike that targeted an area in the southern Lebanese city of Sidon, on 8 April 2026 (Mahmoud Zayyat/AFP) Off Republican lawmakers greeted news of a ceasefire for the US-Israeli war on Iran with polite applause and some scepticism, while their Democratic counterparts called it a monumental defeat for the US . “A diplomatic solution to end the reign of terror in Iran is the preferred outcome. The supposed negotiating document, in my view, has some troubling aspects, but time will tell,” Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally of President Donald Trump and early advocate for the war, wrote on X.
By Pramod Chaturvedi Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], April 8 (ANI): Following the announcement of a ceasefire between the US and Iran for two weeks, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday alleged that India's shift away from its 'impartial' stance has hindered its ability to act as a mediator in the West Asia conflict.
As the newly announced ceasefire struggles to hold, Tehran is entering a contradictory moment marked by official celebrations, delayed funerals and renewed political infighting.
PM is in Saudi Arabia at start of an expected wider trip to Gulf allies, who may view him as more reliable than Trump Middle East crisis – live updates The UK has a “job” to help reopen the strait of Hormuz, Keir Starmer has said, as Iranian reports said the key shipping route was closed again just hours after a supposed ceasefire. The prime minister met UK and local personnel at an airbase in Taif, Saudi Arabia, at the start of what is expected to be a wider trip to Gulf allies, one billed as a mirror to his efforts to pull together a plan for how a ceasefire might operate in Ukraine. Continue reading...
Trump's 'Apocalypse Now' is a busted flush. Iran has proved it and China knows it Submitted by David Hearst on Wed, 04/08/2026 - 17:01 Two factors will now determine the fate of the ceasefire: what happens in Hormuz, and whether Israel continues pummelling Lebanon US President Donald Trump speaks at the White House in Washington, DC, on 6 April 2026 (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images/AFP) Off US President Donald Trump has just given the world a masterclass in the art of dealmaking. You threaten armageddon one minute, and cave in to your enemy’s main demands the next.
The two-week truce opens up the prospect of direct talks with the US but has angered Iran's hardliners, writes BBC News Persian’s Kasra Naji.
Nixon’s Vietnam strategy appears at play in Trump’s Iran threats, but he may want to ponder the ex-president’s fate Donald Trump has made no secret of his admiration for Richard Nixon , Watergate and leaving office in disgrace be damned. But the president has taken his tribute act to new levels in threatening to erase Iran as a civilization, only to step back from the brink when the Tehran regime agreed – at a price – to re-open the economically vital strait of Hormuz. Continue reading...
BBC correspondent Frank Gardner explains the current situation as both sides claim victory - Iran says it will reopen the Strait of Hormuz and that its "victory in the field would also be consolidated" in upcoming talks.
A temporary ceasefire between the United States and Iran has triggered anger and cautious hope among Iranians who sent messages to Iran International, with many describing a sense of abandonment by President Donald Trump.
(260408) -- PRETORIA, April 8, 2026 (Xinhua) -- South African President Cyril Ramaphosa speaks while addressing diplomats who had presented letters of credence as new heads of missions accredited to South Africa at the presidential guest house in Pretoria, South Africa, April 8, 2026.
US President Donald Trump has postponed attacks on Iranian energy infrastructure to negotiate an agreement based on Tehrans 10-point proposal A two-week ceasefire announced by US President Donald Trump appeared to have brought a temporary halt to the US-Israeli war on Iran.
US President Donald Trump has postponed attacks on Iranian energy infrastructure to negotiate an agreement based on Tehran's 10-point proposal A two-week ceasefire announced by US President Donald Trump appeared to have brought a temporary halt to the US-Israeli war on Iran.
'Islamic bomb': The secret Pakistani scheme to make Iran a nuclear power Submitted by Imran Mulla on Wed, 04/08/2026 - 13:07 Scientist AQ Khan, surveilled and targeted by Israel's Mossad, wanted to give Iran nuclear technology to challenge the authority of the West Abdul Qadeer Khan sits during a public meeting along with members from the Jamaat-e-Islami party in Islamabad on 26 February 2013 (AFP) Off "I want to question the holier-than-thou attitude of the Americans and British. Are these bastards God-appointed guardians of the world? " So said Abdul Qadeer Khan, the godfather of Pakistan's nuclear programme, when asked to justify his international network aimed at giving nuclear technology to Iran , Libya and North Korea.
The United States and Iran have agreed to a two-week cease-fire, brokered by Pakistan, premised on Iran reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The announcement came less than two hours before US President Donald Trump's self-imposed deadline was set to expire at 8 pm ET on April 7. Global markets rallied.
UK ban on Ye sparks criticism as Starmer stays silent over US threats to destroy Iran Submitted by Dalia Anis on Wed, 04/08/2026 - 12:12 Home Office barred US rapper formerly known as Kanye West after days of pressure due to past antisemitic remarks Kanye West meets with US President Donald Trump in the White House on 11 October 2018 (Saul Loeb/ AFP) Off The United Kingdom’s decision to block the American rapper formerly known as Kanye West from entering the UK, citing his antisemitic comments, has sparked an intense debate online. The director of the Wireless Festival, which had booked the controversial artist for this summer’s headline slot had defended the decision, despite mounting pressure from politicians and Jewish organisations to disinvite him due his past antisemitic statements. West, who now goes by Ye, submitted his visa application on Monday to travel to Britain.
(260408) -- ISLAMABAD, April 8, 2026 (Xinhua) -- Vehicles drive past a police check point in Islamabad, capital of Pakistan, on April 8, 2026. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian confirmed that Iran would be participating in the negotiations in Islamabad during his phone conversation with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, according to a statement from the Pakistani Prime Minister's Office on Wednesday.
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi appreciated Pakistan for its constructive and responsible role in helping to bring the US-Israeli military aggression against Iran to a temporary halt.
Pakistan appears to have achieved a significant diplomatic breakthrough by playing a proactive role in brokering a 14-day cease-fire and setting the stage for the US-Iran talks in Islamabad on February 10.
