• Pakistan seeks safe, open aid corridors and full backing for UNRWA.
• A halt to forced displacement and new Israeli settlements.
• Return of land and property seized since 1967.

Pakistan reaffirmed its unwavering solidarity with the Palestinian people, asking the world to act now with a demand for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza.

Addressing the session of the OIC Committee of Six on Palestine on Tuesday, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, said that Pakistan will advance peace in the Middle East as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council 2025-2026.

He said that Israel’s offensive that it launched after October 2023 has left more than 63,000 Palestinians dead and 94,000 wounded, the majority of them are women and children.

He said Israeli forces are systematically targeting “homes, hospitals, schools, aid convoys and shelters” in breach of international law.

The minister stressed that settler violence and military raids in the West Bank and East Jerusalem are intensifying “under an extremist Israeli leadership determined to bury the two-state solution”.

“This is a defining moment for the Middle East and the Muslim world,” he said.

“The momentum generated by the High-Level International Conference on Implementation of the Two-State Solution must be sustained.”

The minister also suggested the OIC press for:

1. An immediate, unconditional and permanent cease-fire.
2. Safe, open aid corridors and full backing for UNRWA, the UN agency that keeps millions of Palestinians alive.
3. A halt to forced displacement and new Israeli settlements.
4. Return of land and property seized since 1967.
5. The right of Palestinian refugees to go home.
6. Trials for war crimes and payment for damage done.
7. Respect for every ICJ ruling.
8. A Gaza rebuilding scheme led by Arab and Islamic states.
9. A proper international protection force for Palestinians.
10. A fully independent State of Palestine on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem (Al-Quds Al-Sharif) as its capital, and a seat at the United Nations.

UNITED NATIONS: Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has dismissed talks with Washington, saying negotiations with the US serve no national interest of the country as the outcome has already been predetermined by the US — the closure of Iran’s nuclear enrichment programme.

“This isn’t a negotiation – it’s dictation.”

Supporting his defence of uranium enrichment, the Iranian leader said that the enrichment impacts various aspects of people’s lives, including agriculture, the environment, electrical energy, medicine, industries, and other areas.

Expressing his opinion over social media on Tuesday, he also revealed that Iran has achieved an advanced level in uranium enrichment. He clarified that Iran does not need nuclear arsenal, stressing that Iran has enriched uranium at 60% while countries aiming to develop nuclear weapons enrich uranium up to 90%.

He further explained that out of ten countries capable of uranium enrichment, only Iran did not have a nuclear bomb and did not have the intention to do so. 

European powers seeking to soon reimpose tough sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme met Tuesday with Tehran’s top diplomat, but there were no signs of compromise.

There was however an agreement to continue talks as the clock ticks on the reimposition of deep sanctions on Iran’s economy, even as Iran’s supreme leader resisted European pressure.

“Iran must never obtain a nuclear weapon,” German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul told reporters before the meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

But he added: “The chances of reaching a diplomatic solution before the sanctions go into effect are slim.”

Khamenei said the Islamic republic would not give in to pressure to abandon its enrichment of uranium.

“We did not surrender and we will not. We did not and will not yield to pressure in this matter or any other matter,” he said.

Iran’s foreign ministry said “it was agreed that consultations with all parties involved would continue.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has until the end of Saturday to reach a deal with his British, French, German and EU counterparts to avoid the reinstatement of UN sanctions, which had been suspended under a deal signed in 2015.

‘The most dangerous weapon’

Araghchi met in New York with his counterparts from the three European powers as well as EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.

Iran and the Europeans blame one another for the failure of diplomatic efforts to reach a new agreement on Tehran’s nuclear program, long a rancorous sticking point between the two sides.

European countries and the United States suspect the Iranian government of seeking to acquire an atomic bomb. Tehran has vigorously denied that, insisting it has a right to civilian nuclear energy.

Israel in June carried out a major military campaign against Iranian nuclear sites, with President Donald Trump joining by ordering US warplanes to drop bombs on key targets.

The Trump administration, which had long pushed for the reimposition of sanctions, has voiced a willingness to hold talks with Iran, which doubts Washington’s sincerity.

IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi told AFP on Monday that US envoy Steve Witkoff was exploring different ways of communicating with Iran, without specifying further details.

The United States has not commented on any contact with Iran in New York.

But Khamenei said “one cannot negotiate with such a party. In my view, negotiations with the United States on the nuclear issue, and perhaps on other issues as well, are a complete dead end.”

Trump, addressing the UN General Assembly, contended that US warplanes succeeded in “totally obliterating” Iranian nuclear sites.

“My position, it’s very simple. The world’s number-one sponsor of terror can never be allowed to possess the most dangerous weapon,” Trump said.

The European side has set three conditions to extend the sanction relief period to allow more time for negotiations on a comprehensive treaty.

They include the resumption of direct negotiations without preconditions, full access for International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors to Iranian nuclear sites, and accurate information on the location of enriched materials.

The European side believes that none of the conditions have been met.

Tehran accuses the European powers of exerting political pressure that undermines negotiations and claims to have produced a “balanced” proposal, the details of which have not been disclosed.

• Trump hails meeting Muslim leaders and praises their efforts.
• Proposes Israeli withdrawal and Gaza rule without Hamas.
• US seeks Arab troops and funds for Gaza’s rebuilding.

US President Donald Trump’s meeting with leaders of Muslim-majority nations, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly focused on the situation in Gaza and the wider Middle East.

Participants included Turkiye, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Egypt, the UAE and Jordan.

The meeting lasted about 50 minutes. Calling it an honour to meet the heads of Islamic countries, Trump praised their collective efforts, saying, “You all have done an excellent job, which is commendable.”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan described the talks as extremely productive. None of the other Muslim leaders spoke to the media after the meeting.

He also outlined US plans for an Israeli withdrawal and post-war governance in Gaza without Hamas involvement, according to US media. 

Washington is seeking Arab and Muslim nations’ agreement to send troops to Gaza to enable Israel’s withdrawal and to fund transition and rebuilding programmes, Axios reported.

Israel faces global condemnation over its military conduct in Gaza, where local health authorities say more than 65,000 Palestinians have been killed.

 In recent weeks, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has begun a long-threatened ground assault on Gaza City, with no ceasefire in sight.

This is an ongoing story and is being updated with additional details.