Latest News
Trump says Iran deal ‘largely negotiated’ as fight over strait reopening
US President Donald Trump stated on Saturday a “largely negotiated” memorandum of understanding on an Iran peace deal will reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but Iranian Fars news agency contradicted that report.
Trump said on social media that the emerging deal would restore the strait, the critical shipping corridor whose closure roiled global energy markets after the conflict began in February with US and Israeli assaults on Iran. He did not disclose what would be in an agreement. ““Final aspects and details of the Deal are being discussed right now, and will be announced shortly,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
But Fars, early Sunday, reported that the deal would give Iran control of the channel of Hormuz, and Trump’s statement about the channel was “inconsistent with reality.”
Iran’s top officials met with Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir and said they were moving toward a memorandum of understanding on ending the war.
The Pakistani army said the talks had made “encouraging” progress. “The deal being negotiated is fairly comprehensive to terminate the war,” two Pakistani sources involved in the talks said.
Sharif, the prime minister of Pakistan, complimented Trump on X for his “extraordinary efforts to pursue peace.”
The suggested framework would take place in three stages: legally ending the war, addressing the issue in the Strait of Hormuz and initiating a 30-day window for negotiations on a broader accord, which can be extended, sources told Reuters.
One of the Pakistani sources said if the US agrees to the memorandum, more negotiations might take place after the Eid holiday finishes on Friday.
TRUMP TALKS TO MIDDLE EAST LEADERS
The US president, whose favour ratings have been hurt by the impact of the war on oil prices for US consumers, announced on Friday he would not attend his son’s wedding this weekend, citing Iran among the reasons he wanted to stay in Washington.
Trump said on Truth Social he had a phone chat Saturday with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey and Pakistan. The leaders reportedly urged Trump to sign onto the evolving framework, Axios said.
Trump said that a second call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu went “very well.
Pakistan has sought to reduce gaps between Iran and the US after weeks of war have closed the critical Hormuz strait to most shipping despite a tentative ceasefire.
Trump has frequently asserted the US hit Iran to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons. Iran denies developing nuclear weapons and maintains it has a right to enrich uranium for civilian purposes.The trend this week has been toward a reduction in disagreements, but there are still concerns that need to be resolved through mediators. “We will have to wait and see how the situation ends in the next three or four days,” said Esmail Baghaei, spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
Iran has asked for control over the strait and for the US to stop the blockade on its ports and abolish the restrictions on Iranian oil shipments.
Baghaei said the issue of the US blockade on Iran’s shipping was essential but that its priority was stopping the danger of further US assaults and the current struggle in Lebanon, where Iran-allied Hezbollah fighters are fighting Israeli troops who have moved into the south.
Pakistan’s army chief Munir departed Tehran Saturday after discussions with Iran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and foreign minister Abbas Araqchi.
Qalibaf claimed Iran’s military forces have rebuilt their capabilities during the ceasefire and if the US “foolishly restarts the war,” the results would be “more forceful and bitter” than at the outset of the conflict.
Iran has maintained its stockpile of near-weapons-grade enriched uranium, and its missile, drone and proxy capabilities, despite weeks of conflict.
Latest News
Amazon raised worries about Anthropic AI models before US crackdown, source says
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy was among tech titans who raised security concerns to senior Trump administration officials this week over Anthropic’s most advanced AI models, a person familiar with the subject told Reuters.
Jassy’s presence underscores the dramatic step taken by Anthropic on Friday to shut down its newest models worldwide under national security demands from the administration of President Donald Trump.
The San Francisco-based AI startup, which has confidentially filed for a U.S. initial public offering, had previously warned about hacking capabilities of its Mythos model and held it back from wide release, but earlier this week, Anthropic rolled out a public version, called Fable, with what it described as cybersecurity safeguards.
That brief release was over Friday. In a blog post, Anthropic said the U.S. government notified the company it believes there is a way to bypass, or “jailbreak,” a protection against using the model to uncover cybersecurity flaws.
In a blog post, Anthropic said the bypass only revealed “minor” security weaknesses that other publicly available models may find.
The Trump administration told the business to prevent any foreign nationals, inside or outside the U.S., from utilising both its latest models, Fable 5 and Mythos 5, Anthropic stated. Anthropic responded by saying it would block access to the models worldwide.
Amazon will not say if it had spoken to government officials regarding Anthropic’s models.
“It is not unusual for governments to ask us for advice about potential security issues because we are a leading cloud provider serving a large number of customers in the public and private sectors,” an Amazon spokeswoman said. “When they happen, we don’t disclose the details of these discussions.”
EXPORT RESTRICTIONS
Earlier Saturday, tech news site The Information highlighted Jassy’s concerns. The Information later reported, citing a U.S. official, that the administration was unlikely to require other AI companies to adhere to limits comparable to those placed on Anthropic.
Reuters could not immediately confirm plans by the Trump administration to regulate other corporations.
The U.S. government’s prohibitions were an export control, Anthropic stated in its blog post. The Bureau of Industry and Security of the U.S. Commerce Department, which supervises export controls, did not react right away to a request for comment.
Officials issued the export control “reluctantly” after Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei “refused” to “fix the jail break or de-deploy the model”, White House adviser David Sacks stated in a social media post on Saturday.
“The hope now is that Anthropic remediates the safety issue, the export control is lifted, and Fable goes back into general release,” wrote Sacks, co-chair of Trump’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and once the White House’s AI czar.
Some advocates of export limits were puzzled by the Trump administration’s move because it also applies to allied nations, not only rivals.
“This wasn’t thought out very well,” said Jimmy Goodrich, a senior scholar at the University of California’s Institute for Global Conflict and Cooperation. “It even prohibits Canadians and Brits working at Anthropic from doing research and development.”
The directive came as a previous fight between Trump administration officials and Anthropic was simmering down among portions of the U.S. government.
Latest News
Met Office forecasts windy weather in Karachi
The weather report said that the port city will have hot and humid weather with cloudy sky and maximum temperatures will hover between 34 and 36 Celsius.
Humidity ratio remained 66% in the air in morning which is predicted to remain between 55 to 75% during day, Met Office stated.
After days of searing hot weather with excessive humidity, Karachi reverted to Seabreeze on Saturday.
The sea wind, a critical factor that controls coastal temperatures, returns, making the usually heat-beaten metropolis more bearable. The influx of humid air from the Arabian Sea provides a relief to residents.
Health officials are urging the public to keep taking measures, particularly during the high afternoon hours. Still, it’s best to stay hydrated, not to get direct sun and use sun protection.
Karachi, being coastal, generally depends on the sea wind to keep the excessive heat at bay. The recent interruption of the breeze had sent temperatures soaring and the city was humid enough to feel considerably hotter.
Business
Aurangzeb says IMF had not asked for a tariff on solar panels
He disputed allegations that the government had considering taxing solar panels before the budget. ‘There was never any such demand from the IMF and the topic was never discussed,’ he said.
Aurangzeb stated in a media interaction that the government is working on a set of structural reforms in the energy sector to bring down electricity rates, improve the business environment and increase the competitiveness of major industries, according to a federal minister.
In reply to questions on the high energy costs and capacity charges carried over by successive governments, the minister said expensive power continues to pose a serious problem to industry including manufacturing, information technology, mining and other energy-intensive industries.
He said the government, in partnership with Energy Minister Awais Leghari, had already taken steps to remove cross-subsidies for industry and was pursuing changes through wheeling policy and other measures to increase efficiency in the electricity sector.
Read More : Solar panels, inverters, lithium batteries’ prices soar ahead of budget
The government is moving from short-term relief to more extensive, long-term structural reforms, the minister said. These efforts are to be expected to bear fruit in the coming years rather than immediately, he said.
Privatisation of energy distribution companies (DISCOs) is a crucial part of the reform agenda. The minister said three DISCOs had already been awarded expression of interest (EOI) and two more EOIs will soon be awarded. He said he was certain that the first batch of distribution businesses would be handed over to private sector management by the end of the year, with the rest to follow in phases.
There would need to be more regulatory control to accompany privatisation and work was beginning to ensure the regulatory system would be robust and effective, he said.
He also emphasised the ambitions to shift away from the existing single-buyer energy market model, controlled through the Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA), to a competitive multi-buyer system. “The change will help dismantle existing monopolistic structures and improve market efficiency,” he said.
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