Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke by phone with his Pakistani counterpart Mohammad Ishaq Dar and was briefed on Islamabad’s efforts to halt the Israel–U.S. war, official sources said on Monday (30 March).
Meanwhile, several Iranian parliamentarians have tabled two urgent draft bills calling for withdrawal from the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and for an excise tax on shipping services in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, according to local media.
As the war entered its 31st day, the state-run IRNA news agency reported that Pakistan’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister informed Iran’s top diplomat about the outcome of a meeting in Islamabad involving the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Türkiye, Egypt and Saudi Arabia aimed at ending the war and restoring regional peace and security.
Pakistan said the quadrilateral meeting backed its initiative to end hostilities between Iran and the U.S., and expressed Islamabad’s readiness to host meaningful talks between Tehran and Washington.
Earlier on Saturday, President Masoud Pezeshkian spoke by phone with Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, welcoming Pakistan’s diplomatic initiative.
“Attacks on infrastructure and assassinations of Iranian leaders and high-ranking officials by the aggressors showed that they cannot be trusted,” he was quoted as saying by the President’s Office.
Amid dim prospects for rapid de-escalation as the war entered its second month, two urgent draft bills were submitted to Iran’s parliament over the weekend for discussion in plenary sessions.
According to local media citing MPs, the first draft proposes Iran’s withdrawal from the NPT, invoking provisions that allow such a move under serious threats.
The second draft bill, concerning shipping security in the Strait of Hormuz, proposes environmental pollution levies and guidance service fees, while Iran has blocked the transit of adversaries’ oil and gas tankers through the waterway.
In a separate development, Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, marking the 30th day of the Israel–U.S. war, dismissed Washington’s 15-point ceasefire proposal as a “wish list.”
“These days, different words and statements are heard from enemy officials about negotiations. U.S. is expressing its desires and announcing what it has not achieved in the war as a list of 15 points and seeking it in diplomacy,” he said, according to IRNA.
Also, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei in an interview on Sunday said that U.S. proposals that reached Iran through mediators are “very illogical”.
"Those proposals are very radical and illogical. Talking about matters that are part of the inherent rights of Iranians is not a sign of good faith or seriousness in any diplomacy. They have tried this before,” he added.
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The Strait of Hormuz has reopened, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday (17 April), although Washington warned its naval blockade on Iran would remain until a peace deal is reached.
The current Middle East crisis has already had profound macroeconomic and energy consequences. It also reflects a broader phase of globalisation, where interdependencies can be weaponised for geopolitical purposes.
Iran has cautiously welcomed the ten-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon stressing that it is an integral part of Tehran’s set of its conditions for an end to the ongoing conflict with Washington.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 17th of April, covering the latest developments you need to know.
The past 24 hours of the Russia-Ukraine war have seen a drastic escalation in both aerial bombardment and frontline losses.
Iran reopened the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping on Friday (17 April) for the first time since the U.S. and Israel killed Iran's ex-Supreme Leader in air strikes, triggering the Middle East conflict, at the end of February. A U.S. blockade on Iranian ports, however, remains in force.
Russia published addresses of manufacturers allegedly producing drones or components for Ukraine on Wednesday (15 April), warning European countries against plans to step up UAV supplies to Kyiv.
Netflix shares fell sharply on Friday after the streaming group issued a weaker-than-expected outlook and said chairman and co-founder Reed Hastings will step down from the board.
U.S. President Donald Trump says Israeli and Lebanese leaders have agreed to a 10-day ceasefire that includes Hezbollah, raising cautious hopes of a pause in hostilities after weeks of escalating tensions.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has said his country could provide a “safe corridor” and “alternative route” for regional energy shipments, as supply disruptions continue to affect the wider Middle East.
An average of at least 47 women and girls were killed each day during the war in Gaza, according to new figures released by UN Women.
China is seeking to strengthen and upgrade its cooperation with Turkmenistan, focusing on what officials describe as “high-quality development” across a range of sectors.
Kazakhstan plans to boost trade with Afghanistan from $500 million to $3 billion, backed by infrastructure and transit projects designed to strengthen regional connectivity and improve access to global markets.
A low-profile diplomatic visit to Tbilisi may prove more consequential than it first appears, as representatives of France, Germany and Poland meet figures across Georgia’s political spectrum, signalling that Brussels is watching closely ahead of a key EU foreign ministers’ meeting.
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