WORLD

WASHINGTON, 18 August 2026 (Ghufran):US President Donald Trump said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has responded to his efforts to reengage with Pyongyang, a day after Trump ordered the United States to substantially scale back military exercises with South Korea and described North Korea as “unthreatening and respectful.”Trump’s relationship with Kim received significant attention during his first term, when the two leaders met at summits in 2018 and 2019 and exchanged letters. Their negotiations later broke down over North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. Despite the reduced emphasis on the relationship during Trump’s current term, the US president has repeatedly expressed interest in reviving direct diplomacy with Kim. Asked by a reporter in the Oval Office why Kim had not responded to...

تہران، 18 اگست 2026 (کامران راجہ) — اسلامی پاسداران انقلاب کے ترجمان بریگیڈیئر جنرل حسین محبی نے کہا ہے کہ ایران امریکا کے ساتھ کسی قسم کے مذاکرات نہیں کر رہا، جس میں سفارتی ذرائع کے ذریعے ہونے والی بات چیت بھی شامل ہے۔ بریگیڈیئر جنرل حسین محبی نے کہا کہ سفارتی امور ایران کی وزارت خارجہ اور دیگر متعلقہ اداروں کی ذمہ داری ہیں، تاہم سفارتی ذرائع سے بھی واشنگٹن کے ساتھ کوئی مذاکرات نہیں ہو رہے۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ سفارتی مذاکرات نہ ہونے کی وجہ امریکا کی جانب سے اپنے وعدوں کی خلاف ورزیاں ہیں۔ سپاہِ پاسداران انقلاب اسلامی کے ترجمان نے امریکی صدر ڈونلڈ ٹرمپ کے بیانات کو بھی تنقید کا نشانہ بنایا اور دعویٰ کیا کہ ان بیانات کا مقصد عارضی طور پر تیل کی قیمتوں کو قابو میں رکھنا تھا۔ محبی نے کہا کہ امریکا کے پاس واحد راستہ یہ ہے کہ وہ شکست تسلیم کرے اور ایران کی شرائط مانے۔ انہوں نے مزید کہا کہ امریکی صدر...

TEHRAN, 18 August, 2026 (Kamran Raja) : Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) spokesperson Brigadier General Hossein Mohebbi said Iran is not engaged in any talks with the United States, including through diplomatic channels.Brigadier General Hossein Mohebbi said diplomatic affairs are the responsibility of Iran’s Foreign Ministry and other relevant institutions, adding that no negotiations with Washington are being conducted through diplomatic channels either.He said the absence of diplomatic talks was a result of what he described as the United States’ violations of its commitments.The IRGC spokesperson also criticised statements by US President Donald Trump, claiming that they were aimed at temporarily controlling oil prices.Mohebbi said the only option available to the United States...

TEHRAN, 18 August, 2026 (Ghufran): Tensions in the Strait of Hormuz escalated further after another commercial vessel was targeted in a projectile attack, killing one crew member.According to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), a vessel was targeted on Tuesday while sailing out of the Strait of Hormuz. The attack severely damaged the vessel’s engine room, resulting in the death of one crew member.Following the attack, the remaining crew members were safely evacuated by the Omani Coast Guard, which responded promptly to the incident.Meanwhile, before the latest incident, Iran had also detained an oil tanker linked to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the Strait of Hormuz.According to reports, the UAE-linked tanker was stopped near Qeshm Island while using a special route d...

 TEHRAN, 18 August, 2026(Kamran Raja): Iran has reportedly obtained a US-made weapon recovered from the wreckage of American F-15 fighter jets shot down during the war, potentially providing Tehran with an opportunity to study US military technology.According to foreign media reports, Iran recovered a “GAU-5A” weapon from the wreckage of the aircraft. The weapon was reportedly designed to help US pilots survive critical situations in enemy territory.The report said the weapon came into Iranian possession from the aircraft wreckage rather than being captured directly from a US pilot. The recovered equipment could provide Iran with valuable insight into the technology used by its adversary.Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the US dream of forcing Iran into unco...

WASHINGTON, 17 August, 2026(News Desk) — U.S. President Donald Trump has announced that the United States will reduce military exercises conducted with its key regional ally South Korea, citing his positive relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Seoul’s refusal to assist Washington regarding Iran.Trump said he was unhappy that the United States had previously agreed to participate in joint military exercises with South Korea, arguing that the drills were costly and could send what he described as an inappropriate and hostile signal to North Korea.In a post on Truth Social, Trump also said he had recently asked South Korean President Lee Jae Myung whether South Korea wanted to join the United States in the “denuclearization” of Iran, but received a negative response. Trump h...

NAYPYIDAW, 17 August, 2026 (Ghufran) — Myanmar’s military-backed government has verified 308,797 displaced people living in Bangladesh as former residents of Rakhine State, but said the repatriation process will begin only after security conditions in the region improve.Myanmar’s foreign ministry said it had verified 308,797 people out of 828,824 names submitted by Bangladesh as of July 31, 2026.According to the United Nations, more than 700,000 Rohingya fled to neighbouring Bangladesh in 2017 following a crackdown by Myanmar security forces. Many Rohingya continue to leave Myanmar through dangerous land and sea routes.Myanmar said 4,241 people on Bangladesh’s repatriation list had been identified as individuals it alleges were involved in terrorist activities, while another 113,507 people...

JERUSALEM, 17 August, 2026 (Kamran) — U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy Jared Kushner met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday after holding talks with Hamas leaders, as he seeks to revive a Gaza peace plan that Israel has so far rejected.The meeting came two weeks after Hamas endorsed the latest stage of Trump’s Gaza plan. Netanyahu has refused to support the proposal, insisting that any settlement must ensure that Hamas is “genuinely disarmed.”A diplomatic official confirmed to AFP that the meeting in Jerusalem began late Monday morning.Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, met Hamas’s new leader Khalil al-Hayya in the Egyptian Mediterranean city of El-Alamein on Sunday, according to sources familiar with the discussions.The sources said Kushner demanded that Hamas verify it was ...

WASHINGTON, 17 August, 2026 (Nosheen): U.S. President Donald Trump has warned Oman that it could face military action if it interferes with U.S. operations in the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.Speaking in an interview with U.S. media, Trump said his administration had established a direct backchannel for communication with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).Trump also claimed that the United States still possesses extensive weapons stockpiles, saying the amount of weaponry used by Washington so far was “negligible.” He added that the U.S. had a large number of medium-range weapons available.The Strait of Hormuz is a critical global energy route through which a significant share of the world’s oil supplies passes. Any disruption in the waterway could have major implicati...

MEXICO, 17 August, 2026(Ghufran) — The United States has expanded its military campaign against drug-trafficking groups in Latin America, with the Trump administration seeking agreements that could allow U.S. forces to conduct joint operations on land in allied countries across the region.U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently announced that Colombia, Guatemala and Honduras had agreed to allow joint military operations against criminal groups on their territory, following Ecuador, which launched similar missions with U.S. forces in March. Guatemala, however, has denied reaching such an agreement.Speaking during a military exercise in Panama, Hegseth said the United States intends to extend its campaign against suspected drug-trafficking organizations from maritime operations to land....