Pakistan · World · Independent Digital Newsroom
Their daredevil attack on the Riyadh airport, which led to the killing of three people (including a pilot) and damaged a Saudi airliner, is a step in escalation.
Similarly, satellite images show the Kingdom's Abqaiq oil facility on fire, while the East-West oil pipeline is also in limbo.
Aviation remains suspended in the Saudi capital, and PIA has also cancelled its flights to Riyadh.
This is in addition to the militia's blockade of the Bab el-Mandeb strait, sending shivers down the spine as global supplies remain choked through both the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz.
It seems the warfare inside Yemen is taking root as the state military says it has carried out more than 1,729 operations against the Houthis with no signs of the militia being taken out.President Masoud Pezeshkian, nonetheless, has called for a negotiated solution, provided Washington does not resort to "pressure and threats." However, there is a dichotomy at work, as the military brass of the Islamic Republic seems bent on….
The claims from the IRGC that it is prepared for a long-drawn war – and that armament production in the last seven months has risen 2.5-fold – are unnerving.
This shock and awe on the strategic and economic fronts has led the UN to forecast a further dip in global growth, slumping to 2.6% in 2026 from 2.9% last year.
However, there is a silver lining too, as President Trump told a midterm election rally that the US "will not attack Iran" until the November elections.This comes as an opportunity for the doves to hammer out an amicable solution to the conflict.
Pakistan, China, the UN secretary-general, Qatar and Türkiye are on their toes to persuade Iran and the US to return to the Islamabad MoU.
Likewise, the return of the USS Abraham Lincoln to its home port after being in Persian waters for 321 days is a sign of a thaw in the making.
All that is desired is a toning down of the rhetoric by the warring sides to help confidence-building measures take root.
Escalation in the air Editorial | Updated 1 minute ago | .
