(By Khalid Masood) 🔍 The Illusion of Pause On the morning President Trump announced a unilateral extension of the US-Iran ceasefire, IRGC fast-attack craft conducted live-fire drills just 18 nautical miles from the Strait of Hormuz. The juxtaposition captures the defining paradox of the current Middle East crisis: diplomatic language signals restraint, while operational posturing…
(By Khalid Masood) Introduction: A Ceasefire, Not a Resolution A temporary two-week ceasefire announced on April 7, 2026, between Iran and the United States has created a narrow diplomatic window—but not a resolution—to the recent escalation in West Asia. The agreement, which followed a grueling 40-day conflict and a highly contested U.S. naval blockade, has…
(By Ayesha Mahnoor) In a quiet but consequential development, Islamabad has emerged as an unlikely but increasingly vital node in the complex architecture of Middle Eastern diplomacy. Today, the Pakistani capital hosted a high-level gathering of foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, TĂĽrkiye, and Egypt—alongside their Pakistani counterpart—for closed-door consultations that signal a subtle but significant…
