Diya Hadid
👤 SpeakerAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
had to choose, quote, between ceasefire or continued war via Israel.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif did not detail a specific ceasefire violation in his post on X.
but there were reports of strikes in Iran and Gulf countries.
And in Lebanon, the Associated Press reported that Israeli forces struck over 100 targets in 10 minutes, killing dozens of people, including in downtown Beirut, with residents filming buildings exploding on a clear blue sky day.
Israel and President Trump say the war against Hezbollah in Lebanon is not included in the ceasefire, but the country was included in the Pakistani Prime Minister's ceasefire announcement on Tuesday.
Talks are expected to be held in Islamabad on Friday.
For days, Pakistani officials have said they hope to help mediate talks to end a war that has seized up the global economy, pushed up the price of fossil fuels and key commodities like fertilizer, and that has killed thousands of people, mostly Iranians and Lebanese.
The joint statement with China came after high-ranking Pakistani officials led a flurry of meetings with regional powers.
China is Iran's biggest customer for oil, and it's seen as sympathetic to the country.
Iran's foreign minister has told Al Jazeera that he has received direct messages from the US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, but they do not constitute, quote, negotiations.
Diya Hadid, NPR News, Mumbai.
Afghanistan and Iran were singled out by the State Department in early March for their practice of detaining Americans as a form of leverage.
Coyle was detained in January 2025 while in the Afghan capital, Kabul.
He's described as a 64-year-old academic who focused on Afghanistan's many language communities.
It's not clear why the Taliban detained him.
Two Taliban spokespeople did not respond to requests for comment.
But in a statement, the Afghan foreign ministry said Coyle's release came on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, the celebration that marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan.