Mediator Pakistan Says U.S.-Iran Talks Are Ongoing Despite Mutual Attacks

[Financial News] As the situation in the Middle East deteriorates sharply, with the United States carrying out large-scale airstrikes on Iran in retaliation for attacks on Jordan, mediator Pakistan said talks between the two sides are still underway.
According to AFP on the 30th local time, Tahir Andrabi, spokesperson for Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that "talks between the parties to resolve the Strait of Hormuz issue and ease tensions are continuing." Pakistan has been laying the groundwork for working-level negotiations aimed at a lasting settlement through mediation between the two sides.
On the ground, however, direct military clashes appear to be intensifying again. U.S. Central Command announced that it had "successfully completed a large-scale bombing" targeting dozens of sites, including military command elements of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). According to Iranian authorities and state media, at least three armed personnel were killed, and key areas including Khuzestan Province and Qeshm Island were hit.
The Jordanian military said it intercepted Iranian missile attacks in its airspace for a second consecutive day, while in Kuwait, a building owned by a Chinese company was struck in an Iranian attack, killing one worker.
Egypt, which had been somewhat removed from the conflict zone, also came under attack when a drone strike hit a port serving as a Mediterranean gas import hub, damaging two vessels including an oil tanker. The Egyptian president warned of a serious escalation in the Middle East conflict and called for international intervention.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia launched a maritime defense coalition involving 14 regional countries to ensure safe navigation in the Red Sea, the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, and the Gulf of Aden.
Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Defense announced in a statement that it had formally launched the "Multinational Maritime Defense Coalition" as a framework to strengthen collective maritime defense cooperation.
The participating countries said they are committed to protecting international trade routes and energy supply chains passing through the three waters, which are key strategic sea lanes linking the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, and to securing freedom of navigation.

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