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Iran establishes requirements for reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

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Iran set preconditions for a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, including compensation for war damages, complicating a potential deal to open the waterway essential to the world economy.

Tehran has imposed an effective blockade of the strait since the United States and Israel struck Iran in late February, and wants to charge tolls for passage, attacking ships it accuses of attempting to circumvent its preferred route.

Continued attacks in the strait, which was free to transit before the war, led to the collapse of an April ceasefire. Mediators have since urged both sides to return to the terms of a June memorandum.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said discussions with Oman over transit and management of the strait were “approaching the final stages”, but added the reopening of Hormuz “is subject to other conditions and compensation for the violation” of the June agreement.

Security chief Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr on Saturday laid out a list of demands for reopening the strait, including an end to the “war and aggression against Iran and its allies in Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen, and Iraq”.

He also demanded the lifting of a parallel US naval blockade of Iran, the end of sanctions, the release of frozen assets and compensation for wartime damage, according to remarks reported by Tasnim news agency.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, meanwhile, said Hormuz’s reopening had “nothing to do with the negotiations between Iran and Oman”, adding that the “enemy is forced to accept Iran’s conditions for the opening of the strait”.

Repeated attacks

The comments came as transit through Hormuz has dropped significantly, with Iran targeting ships it accuses of skirting its preferred route through Iranian waters.

The United Arab Emirates’ foreign ministry on Saturday condemned what it called a “hostile Iranian attack that targeted a tanker belonging to Adnoc (Abu Dhabi National Oil Company) with a missile while it was transiting the Strait of Hormuz, without causing casualties”.

Later on Saturday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said a ship was hit by a projectile off Oman in the Strait of Hormuz, causing a fire that was extinguished but no casualties. It was unclear whether they were referring to the same ship.

On Friday, Adnoc had put out a statement saying that since the start of the war, 15 of its vessels had been attacked in Hormuz, “including three vessels this week alone”.

Oman’s foreign ministry on Saturday condemned “repeated attacks on vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz”, without naming Iran.

It also said that “ongoing negotiations regarding navigation arrangements in the Strait of Hormuz are proceeding in a positive and constructive atmosphere”, and urged against any actions that might jeopardise the progress.

The previous Iran-US deal — meant to serve as a jumping-off point for negotiations on a permanent settlement — had said Iran and Oman would hash out future arrangements for the strait in discussion with other Gulf countries and “in line with the applicable international law”.

International law generally forbids tolling in such waterways.

Security agreement

Turkish foreign minister said Saturday he expected Egypt to join a joint defence agreement between Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan designed to stabilise the region, calling the country a “natural partner on all issues”.

“I believe that at the next stage Egypt will also be among us in the alliance. We already act toward one another as if we were alliance members,” Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said in an interview.

A drone struck US assets at an Egyptian port on the Mediterranean last month, marking the first drone attack on Egyptian territory since the outbreak of the Iran war.

Fidan said the agreement does not target a specific country.

“There is no common threat that we have put in writing,” he said, according to the news agency.

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PCB to observe Breast Cancer Awareness Day during Pakistan v England ODI in Lahore

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The PCB has declared that the One Day International between Pakistan and England scheduled to be played on October 25 during the ODI tri-series will be dedicated to breast cancer awareness.

The PCB in a statement said the 4th One Day International match of the tri-nation series between Pakistan, England and Sri Lanka will be dedicated to the Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign.

unique events for the Pink Ribbon Campaign will start two hours before the match at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore with the Pakistan cricket team to don a unique pink kit.

Pink stamps will be used during the match and awareness messages will run on the stadium’s big screens and LED boards.

As part of its corporate social responsibility initiatives, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will observe Breast Cancer Awareness Day when the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore will turn pink on Sunday, October 25, as Pakistan face England in the fourth ODI of the tri-series involving Pakistan, England and Sri Lanka.

The drive is being conducted as part of Pinktober, the global Breast Cancer Awareness Month, to emphasise the value of early detection, frequent screening and timely treatment, while urging more awareness of the condition across the country.

As part of the initiative, the Pakistan Men’s cricket team will wear specially designed pink kits during the ODI to express sympathy with breast cancer patients and survivors.

England’s cricket team, umpires and commentators will also be encouraged to wear pink ribbons to raise awareness for the cause.

The stumps for the fixture will have a pink logo while messages and graphics for the breast cancer awareness campaign will appear on the stadium’s big screen and LED perimeter boards throughout the match.

Awareness messages will be shared by commentators during the live broadcast to reach audiences across Pakistan and beyond.

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Iran urges US to accept proposal to reopen Strait of Hormuz

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Iran’s offer to the US to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days is still on the table, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told Iranian media outlets on Sunday.

Iran submitted their proposal in mid-September after an interim ceasefire crumbled. Tehran later confirmed it had received a US response but Iran’s security director stated last week the negotiations were halted because Washington had failed to meet all seven conditions for reopening the strait.Our position is clear and is based on the seven-days plan that we made to the US. “We are studying the remarks made by them, but our offer is still on the table and if there is any honesty on the part of the US, which there isn’t, the way to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is obvious,” Araqchi said while in ​Baghdad for a summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

Iran’s demands include the easing of the US blockade on its ports, lifting of US restrictions on its oil exports and ending hostilities on all regional fronts, among other conditions.

If Washington meets Tehran’s criteria, the strait may reopen within six days and discussions could resume the following day, Araqchi added.

A key area of contention has been Washington’s insistence on confronting Iran’s nuclear program right away.

Earlier this month, US Vise President JD Vance said Iran had to scale back its uranium enrichment capabilities in a “meaningful” way to meet US demands and end the countries’ eight-month battle.

The talks should first focus on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which before the war carried nearly a quarter of the global commerce in oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG), and restoring security in the waterway, Tehran believes.

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Bilawal calls for unity against terrorism, says Fazlur Rehman can help end emergency in KP

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Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has called upon political leaders to desist from politicising the battle against terrorism stating Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman can help end the emergency.

“The country’s top priority still is to eliminate terrorism, particularly in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where the menace continues to pose a serious challenge,” Bilawal said while talking to party members in Karachi on the 19th anniversary of the Karsaz tragedy.

He highlighted that dealing with terrorism must be a serious and effective step and the problem should not become a cause of political debate.

Bilawal remarked that members of Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s party had also died in terrorist strikes, and added that he hoped the JUI-F president would openly condemn the terrorist groups.

Also Read: Bilawal Bhutto says terrorism, violence cannot dent resolve for democracy

“Fight against terrorism should not be turned into a political dispute,” Bilawal said, demanding clear and effective stand against the menace.

Talking about the situation that forced the emergency, the PPP Chairman stated that the chief minister of one province was not ready to face the terrorists and the authorities had no option but to impose the emergency step.

He urged political leaders to focus on fighting terrorism, not the politicisation of counterterrorism.

The JUI-F chief can play a constructive role in attempts to end the emergency, Bilawal remarked.

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