Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani families, traders, and workers are returning home through the remote Taftan border crossing with Iran as the widening conflict in the Middle East forces civilians to flee the region and disrupts cross-border trade. Small groups of travelers carrying suitcases and bags have been arriving at the dusty crossing in Pakistan&rsquo;s southwestern Balochistan province after making long journeys from Iranian cities affected by the fallout of the ongoing war. The conflict intensified after coordinated US&ndash;Israeli strikes on Iran triggered retaliatory missile and drone attacks across the Gulf, rattling regional security and prompting several countries to prepare evacuation plans for their citizens. Islamabad has been closely monitoring the rapidly evolving situation, with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordering contingency measures to bring stranded Pakistanis home and maintain diplomatic outreach aimed at de-escalation. Officials said authorities are facilitating the safe return of citizens through the Taftan crossing, Pakistan&rsquo;s main land route with Iran, while coordinating with regional partners as tensions continue to rise. Families arriving at the border terminal were seen waiting for onward transport deeper into Pakistan, some loading their belongings onto pickup trucks and other vehicles heading toward cities across Balochistan and beyond. While the flow of returnees remains steady, residents in Taftan say the war across the border has already begun affecting daily life in the small desert town that depends heavily on trade with Iran. Local resident Kamran Khan said the closure of cross-border trade routes had pushed up food prices sharply in recent days. &ldquo;In Taftan, food items come from Iran,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Before the border closure, one kilogram of vegetables cost Rs130 to Rs150 ($0.46 to $0.53), but now it costs Rs250 to Rs300 ($0.89 to $1.07)&nbsp;per kilogram.&rdquo; He added that other essential items had also surged in price as supply chains were disrupted. &ldquo;Ghee also came from Iran; one kilogram used to cost Rs130 ($0.46) and now it costs Rs300 ($1.07),&rdquo; Khan said. &ldquo;A bottle of clean drinking water used to cost Rs80 ($0.29), but now it costs Rs200 ($0.71). The border closure is causing us many problems.&rdquo; Local traders say the economic fallout is spreading quickly through the border town&rsquo;s small businesses, which rely on regular imports and exports with neighboring Iran. &ldquo;The closure of the border to trade has severely affected our import-export business, causing us losses worth millions of rupees,&rdquo; Khan said. &ldquo;In Taftan there is a shortage of food and grocery items.&rdquo; He added that the disruption had also affected energy supplies moving through the crossing. &ldquo;LPG also comes to Pakistan through the Taftan route, but the closure has caused a shortage of LPG gas as well,&rdquo; he said. Fruit and vegetable vendor Kamal Khan said the conflict had doubled some prices almost overnight. &ldquo;Due to the war in Iran, the border is closed to trade,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Vegetables that used to cost us Rs200 per kilogram are now costing up to Rs400.&rdquo; &ldquo;This has caused a significant increase in vegetable prices,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;There are people here who, unfortunately, cannot afford to buy them.&rdquo; The situation in Taftan reflects the broader regional impact of the escalating conflict, which has triggered missile exchanges, air defense alerts and attacks on military and energy infrastructure across the Middle East. Islamabad has repeatedly called for restraint and diplomacy, warning that further escalation could destabilize the wider region and threaten millions of civilians, including Pakistani workers living abroad. Pakistani officials say diplomatic engagement with regional governments is continuing as authorities work to ensure the safe return of citizens while managing the economic and humanitarian consequences of the unfolding crisis. With inputs from AFP

Security

Foreign Affairs

Local residents and traders in Pakistan’s Taftan border town say the Iran conflict has disrupted cross-border trade, sharply raising food and fuel prices as returning Pakistanis arrive from Iran and uncertainty grows over supplies and livelihoods.



Pakistanis return through Taftan as Iran war disrupts border trade

ISLAMABAD: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has demanded a fundamental shift in United States policy toward Iran, warning of &ldquo;ferocious&rdquo; retaliation if Washington resorts to military action, after President Donald Trump issued fresh threats over Tehran&rsquo;s nuclear program.&nbsp;In an opinion article published in the Wall Street Journal, Araghchi said the US strategy of &ldquo;maximum pressure&rdquo; had failed, arguing that a year of sanctions, cyber operations and military pressure had not weakened Iran.&nbsp;&ldquo;The US has tried every conceivable hostile act against Iran, from sanctions and cyber assaults to outright military attack, and most recently fanning a major terrorist operation, all of which failed,&rdquo; Araghchi wrote. He called on Washington to abandon pressure tactics and adopt what he described as a policy of &ldquo;respect.&rdquo;&nbsp;Araghchi&rsquo;s comments came shortly after President Trump warned Iran to &ldquo;stop with the nuclear,&rdquo; claiming Tehran halted the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/iran-says-3117-killed-in-protests-sparked-by-economic-grievances" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">killing of protesters</a>&nbsp;after he threatened military action.&nbsp;Speaking in a wide-ranging interview with CNBC on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump said Iran should abandon its nuclear activities, adding that his warnings had forced Tehran to change its behavior. Trump said major&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/us-president-warns-iran-of-blowing-in-response-to-the-assassination-threats" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">US air strikes</a>&nbsp;last June had ended Iran&rsquo;s nuclear capacity and insisted Iran &ldquo;can&rsquo;t do the nuclear,&rdquo; warning that &ldquo;if they do it, it&rsquo;s going to happen again.&rdquo; He also said he hoped no further military action would be necessary, but stressed that the US would react if Tehran restarted its nuclear efforts. The Iranian foreign minister rejected the claim and accused Washington of fueling instability in the region. He said Trump&rsquo;s first year in office had brought &ldquo;only bloodshed,&rdquo; pointing to civilian casualties in Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Iran.&nbsp;Diplomacy underminedAraghchi said Iran and the US were&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/iran-ready-for-war-and-talks-but-rejects-dictates-fm" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">close to breakthroughs</a>&nbsp;during indirect talks in Oman last year, but alleged that progress was repeatedly blocked by &ldquo;Israel&rsquo;s proxies in the White House.&rdquo;&nbsp;He also criticized the US decision in September 2025 to push European countries to trigger the &ldquo;snapback&rdquo; mechanism under the 2015 nuclear deal, calling it a major miscalculation that destroyed chances of de-escalation.&nbsp;While stressing that Iran remains open to a &ldquo;fair and balanced&rdquo; agreement, Araghchi said recent events had made Tehran deeply sceptical of Washington&rsquo;s intentions.&nbsp;Warning of retaliationAlthough stating that he &ldquo;abhors war,&rdquo; the Iranian foreign minister warned that Iran would respond forcefully to any new military action.&nbsp;&ldquo;Unlike the restraint shown in mid-2025, Iran&rsquo;s armed forces have no qualms about firing back with everything we have,&rdquo; he said, warning that any conflict would be long-lasting and spread across the wider region.&nbsp;Araghchi also dismissed what he described as &ldquo;fantasy timelines&rdquo; promoted by Israeli officials, saying a full-scale confrontation would have global consequences.&nbsp;Unrest and accusationsAddressing recent unrest inside Iran, Araghchi claimed that initially peaceful economic protests were hijacked by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/irans-khamenei-says-authorities-must-break-the-back-of-the-seditionists" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">foreign-backed armed groups</a>&nbsp;seeking to provoke US intervention. He accused Western media of promoting &ldquo;distorted narratives&rdquo; about the violence.&nbsp;He said Iranian security forces faced coordinated attacks by armed groups, adding that the violence lasted less than three days and had since been brought under control.&nbsp;&ldquo;No government would sit idly by as its citizens were subjected to such unfathomable horrors,&rdquo; Araghchi said, insisting Iran preferred peace but would not be intimidated by threats or pressure.&nbsp;The exchange of sharp statements highlights rising tensions between Tehran and Washington, raising fears of further escalation in an already volatile region.

Middle East

Araghchi’s comments came shortly after President Trump warned Iran to 'stop with the nuclear,' claiming Tehran halted the killing of protesters after he threatened military action.

Iran warns of ‘ferocious’ retaliation after Trump threatens military action

ISLAMABAD: President Donald Trump has not yet ordered military strikes against Iran, but he continues to press his aides for what he calls &ldquo;decisive&rdquo; options, as the United States increases its military presence in the Middle East, the Wall Street Journal reported.&nbsp;According to US officials cited by the newspaper, discussions are ongoing within the White House and the Pentagon even after Trump last week pulled back from authorizing strikes. The talks are taking place as Iran tightens internal control and intensifies a crackdown on protesters, with death toll estimates running into the thousands.&nbsp;The US has begun deploying additional military assets to the region, including an aircraft carrier, fighter jets and advanced air-defense systems. Officials said these moves could mark the early stages of a broader buildup that would give Trump the capability to strike Iran if he decides to do so.&nbsp;Trump has repeatedly used the term &ldquo;decisive&rdquo; in internal discussions to describe the impact he wants any US action to have on Tehran, prompting aides to refine a range of military options. These include limited strikes on facilities linked to <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/irans-khamenei-says-authorities-must-break-the-back-of-the-seditionists" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Iran&rsquo;s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps</a> as well as more expansive scenarios aimed at weakening or potentially toppling the regime, the report said.&nbsp;So far, however, no final decision has been taken. US officials stressed that the president has not ruled out military action, particularly in response to <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/iran-president-says-any-attack-on-supreme-leader-would-be-declaration-of-war" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Iran&rsquo;s handling of protests</a> amid a worsening economic crisis.&nbsp;Death toll figures from the unrest vary widely. While lower estimates range between 2,000 and 3,000, US officials believe the actual number is much higher. US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz recently cited UN assessments suggesting that as many as 18,000 people may have been killed.&nbsp;When asked this week whether the US might still strike Iran, Trump said Tehran had backed down from plans to execute hundreds of detainees after Washington issued warnings. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re just going to have to see what happens with Iran,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;Former officials and analysts told the Wall Street Journal that a key question facing the administration is whether US air power alone could force meaningful political change in Iran. They also warned that any serious effort to support protesters or undermine the regime could require a prolonged campaign lasting weeks or months.&nbsp;&ldquo;There are things military options can and can&rsquo;t do during a human-rights crackdown,&rdquo; retired Air Force Lieutenant General David Deptula was quoted as saying. &ldquo;If you are really signing up to change the regime, that&rsquo;s going to require significant air and ground operations.&rdquo;&nbsp;Meanwhile, the US military has accelerated deployments. F-15E fighter jets have landed in Jordan, while the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and its strike group have been observed moving toward the Persian Gulf. Additional Patriot and THAAD missile-defense systems are also expected to be sent to the region to counter any <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/iran-says-no-escalation-sought-attack-to-trigger-lawful-response" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Iranian retaliation</a>.&nbsp;National Security Adviser and Secretary of State Marco Rubio has discussed Iran with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, underscoring the importance of regional backing should an air campaign be launched.&nbsp;Despite the military focus, some officials have questioned the political objectives of any strikes, particularly given the lack of a clear plan for governing Iran if the current leadership were removed. Others have suggested non-military measures, including tighter sanctions or support for protesters through online coordination.&nbsp;Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said US financial pressure had already weakened Iran&rsquo;s economy, contributing to public unrest. &ldquo;This is economic statecraft, no shots fired,&rdquo; he said at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland.&nbsp;Trump has sent mixed signals on regime change. While he recently expressed doubts that Iranians would unite behind exiled figures such as Reza Pahlavi, he later said Iran needed &ldquo;new leadership&rdquo; and criticized Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for the crackdown.&nbsp;Iran, for its part, has warned that any US strike&mdash;especially one targeting its leadership&mdash;would trigger a severe response. <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/iranian-president-welcomes-pakistansaudi-defense-pact" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian</a> said any attack on the supreme leader would amount to &ldquo;all-out war.&rdquo;&nbsp;The report noted that while additional US deployments expand Washington&rsquo;s military options, officials remain wary of escalation, particularly after Israel raised concerns about its own air defenses following last year&rsquo;s conflict with Iran.&nbsp;The Wall Street Journal said the situation underscores the tension between Trump&rsquo;s past pledges to avoid new wars and the growing pressure to respond forcefully to developments inside Iran.

US officials stress that the president has not ruled out military action, particularly in response to Iran’s handling of protests amid a worsening economic crisis.

Articles tagged with "US attack on Iran"

Pakistanis return through Taftan as Iran war disrupts border trade

Iran warns of ‘ferocious’ retaliation after Trump threatens military action

Trump weighs ‘decisive’ options as US builds pressure on Iran