Foreign ministers from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt are meeting in Islamabad today and Monday seeking a diplomatic plan to de-escalate the Iran war. The talks come as thousands more U.S. troops arrive in the region and after Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis entered the widening conflict by launching a missile toward Israel, raising fears of renewed attacks on Red Sea shipping lanes.
Diplomacy push in Pakistan
The four regional foreign ministers — the grouping sometimes called “the quad” — plan to focus on recent military escalation and diplomatic efforts to contain tensions and promote de-escalation, according to an Egyptian statement ahead of the talks. Whether any consensus reached in Islamabad will be accepted by the U.S., Israel or Iran remains uncertain.
Pakistan has emerged as a possible broker, relaying messages between Washington and Tehran. Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said dialogue, diplomacy and confidence-building measures are the only way forward and welcomed Iran’s agreement to allow 20 Pakistan-flagged vessels (two per day) to transit the Strait of Hormuz.
Houthis enter the war
Houthi militants in Yemen, backed by Iran, fired the first missile they have launched since the war began toward Israel on Saturday; Israel said its military intercepted the projectile. A Houthi spokesman said attacks would continue until “the aggression on all resistance fronts stops.” The Houthis had previously attacked cargo ships in the Red Sea during Israel’s Gaza war, disrupting global commercial traffic. With Iran largely blockading the Strait of Hormuz and pushing up oil prices, renewed Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping could further strain global trade.
Iran and cluster munitions
Iran struck multiple sites around Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, and Israel’s military says Iran has increasingly used cluster munitions — weapons that disperse many smaller submunitions and can be harder to intercept and more damaging over a wide area. Dozens of countries have signed a treaty banning cluster munitions; Iran, Israel and the U.S. have not.
Iran threatens U.S. universities in the region
Iranian authorities reported new airstrikes across the country, and Israel said it had completed a wide-scale round of strikes on weapons production and storage facilities. Iran claimed U.S.-Israeli strikes hit a Tehran university and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned American university campuses in the Middle East that they were “legitimate targets” for retaliation, advising employees, professors, students and nearby residents to stay a kilometer away from campuses. Several U.S. universities have campuses in the Gulf, including New York University in the U.A.E. and Texas A&M in Qatar.
Iran has continued to fire drones and missiles at Gulf states; Kuwait reported intercepting incoming missiles and drones early Sunday, and Saudi Arabia said it shot down ten drones. Iran also claimed it attacked two major aluminum facilities in Bahrain and the U.A.E.; Emirates Global Aluminium confirmed an Iranian attack wounded several people and caused significant damage to its plant.
U.S. troops injured, reinforcements arrive
At least 15 U.S. service members were wounded — five seriously — in an Iranian missile and drone strike on Saudi Arabia’s Prince Sultan air base outside Riyadh, according to the Associated Press. The Pentagon has reported 13 U.S. service members killed and more than 300 injured since the war began. The Japan-based 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, about 3,500 sailors and Marines, arrived in the Middle East, and thousands more soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division are expected to deploy. U.S. Central Command has not disclosed specific deployment plans.
Journalists killed in Lebanon
Three Lebanese journalists covering Israel’s invasion of southern Lebanon were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Jezzine. Israel accused one of the dead, veteran correspondent Ali Shaeb (also spelled Ali Shoeib), of being a militant and said he exposed Israeli troop locations; it has not publicly provided evidence. The other two victims were siblings, TV correspondent Fatima Ftouni and her cameraman brother, Mohammed Ftouni. Lebanese officials condemned the strike as a flagrant violation of international law and said they would complain to the U.N. Security Council. Hundreds of journalists held a protest vigil in Beirut. Lebanese health officials said at least 47 people were killed Saturday in Israeli attacks, including nine paramedics — a loss the World Health Organization called “a tragedy” and a violation of the protections afforded health workers under international law.
Developments in Syria and Iraq
The war has spread to more parts of the region. Syria said it intercepted a drone strike from Iraq targeting a U.S. military base; pro-Iran Iraqi groups have claimed responsibility for some attacks on U.S. interests. Syrian and U.A.E. governments condemned an attack on the residence of Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani; French President Emmanuel Macron said Iraq’s sovereignty and Kurdistan’s stability are essential to avoid broader escalation. The Israeli army said it carried out what it described as its “first” attack into Lebanon from Syrian territory.
Jane Arraf in Amman, Emily Feng in Van, Turkey, Lauren Frayer in Jezzine, Lebanon, Carrie Khan in Tel Aviv, and Kate Bartlett in Johannesburg contributed to this report.