Foreign ministers from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt are meeting in Islamabad to push a diplomatic plan aimed at de-escalating the widening Iran war. The talks, scheduled for today and Monday, come as thousands more U.S. troops arrive in the region and after Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis launched a missile toward Israel, stoking fears of renewed attacks on Red Sea shipping routes.
Diplomatic push in Islamabad
The four ministers — a regional grouping sometimes called “the quad” — are focusing on recent military escalations and on diplomatic measures to contain tensions, an Egyptian statement said ahead of the meetings. It remains unclear whether any agreement reached in Islamabad would be accepted by the U.S., Israel or Iran.
Pakistan has positioned itself as a potential intermediary, relaying messages between Washington and Tehran. Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar emphasized that dialogue, diplomacy and confidence-building measures are the only viable path forward and welcomed Iran’s agreement to let 20 Pakistan-flagged vessels (two per day) transit the Strait of Hormuz.
Houthis expand the conflict
Houthi militants in Yemen fired the first missile they have launched since the war began toward Israel on Saturday; Israel said its forces intercepted the projectile. A Houthi spokesman vowed attacks would continue until “the aggression on all resistance fronts stops.” The Houthis previously attacked cargo ships in the Red Sea during Israel’s Gaza offensive, disrupting global commercial traffic. With Iran exerting pressure on the Strait of Hormuz and boosting oil prices, further Houthi strikes on Red Sea shipping could deepen strains on international trade.
Iran, cluster munitions and strikes
Iran has struck multiple sites around Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Israel’s military says Iran has increasingly used cluster munitions — weapons that disperse many smaller submunitions, are difficult to intercept, and can cause widespread harm. Dozens of countries have signed a treaty banning cluster munitions; Iran, Israel and the United States are not parties to that treaty.
Iran also reported carrying out airstrikes inside its own territory and said a Tehran university had been hit during U.S.-Israeli strikes. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned that American university campuses in the Middle East would be considered “legitimate targets” for retaliation, advising employees, professors, students and nearby residents to stay at least a kilometer away. Several U.S. universities have Gulf campuses, including New York University in the U.A.E. and Texas A&M in Qatar.
Flights of missiles and drones continued across the Gulf: Kuwait reported intercepting missiles and drones early Sunday, and Saudi Arabia said it shot down ten drones. Iran claimed strikes on two major aluminum facilities in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates; Emirates Global Aluminium confirmed an attack that wounded several people and caused significant damage to its plant.
U.S. casualties and reinforcements
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 reports. The Pentagon has said 13 U.S. service members have been killed and more than 300 injured since the war began. Reinforcements have been sent: 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 released detailed deployment plans.
Journalists killed in Lebanon
Three Lebanese journalists covering fighting in 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 of exposing Israeli troop positions; it has not publicly produced 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 bring complaints to the U.N. Security Council. A protest vigil by hundreds of journalists was held in Beirut. Lebanese health officials also said at least 47 people were killed Saturday in Israeli attacks, including nine paramedics — a loss the World Health Organization called “a tragedy.”
Spillover in Syria and Iraq
The war has spread to other parts of the region. Syria said it intercepted a drone launched from Iraq that targeted a U.S. military base; pro-Iranian 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, and French President Emmanuel Macron warned that respecting Iraq’s sovereignty and Kurdistan’s stability is essential to avoid broader escalation. The Israeli army said it carried out what it described as its first attack into Lebanon from Syrian territory.
The situation remains fluid, with diplomatic efforts in Islamabad aiming to build consensus for de-escalation even as military actions and retaliatory strikes continue across the region. Reporters in multiple countries contributed to coverage of these developments.