ISLAMABAD - President Asif Ali Zardari said Pakistan was recognised as a state that not only knew how to defend itself but also served as a guarantor of peace and stability. In a message on the first anniversary of Maarka-e-Haq, he said, “In the context of recent tensions in West Asia, Pakistan, through responsible and balanced diplomacy, played a key role in facilitating a ceasefire between the United States and Iran and bringing both sides to the negotiating table.” He said, “One year ago, Pakistan was put to the test, and it did not blink. The events of April and May last year were not simply a military episode. They were a moment of national reckoning. When India, under the guise of the Pahalgam false flag operation, launched unprovoked strikes on our soil, targeting mainly civilian areas besides military installations, Pakistan responded with discipline, precision, courage and unity.” “Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos, the decisive centrepiece of Maarka-e-Haq, demonstrated what our armed forces are capable of when the country stands behind them as one. Our response was calibrated, measured, precise and proportionate. Our message was unambiguous,” he added. He said, “Maarka-e-Haq showed the world that Pakistan’s deterrence is not a slogan. It rests on professional competence, tri-service coordination and the resolve of a people who shall not accept aggression lying down.” “We salute our men and women in uniform and we bow our heads in honour of every martyr who gave their life so that this nation could stand tall. It is part of our DNA that when a war is imposed on us, every Pakistani becomes a soldier, some in uniform and most without,” he continued. “Our efforts helped avoid further bloodshed and contributed to stabilising the broader regional environment. Pakistan will continue its efforts to promote peace, dialogue and stability wherever it can make a difference,” he said adding, “I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate that the Kashmir dispute remains the root cause of instability in this region. No honest account of South Asia’s security challenges can avoid that truth. The aspirations of the Kashmiri people, enshrined in United Nations Security Council resolutions, have not been extinguished by decades of occupation. They shall not be. Pakistan’s commitment to a just and lawful resolution remains unchanged.” He said, “India’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty is tantamount to weaponisation of water. The Treaty, brokered by the World Bank and signed in 1960, has survived four wars and sixty-five years of bitter rivalry between two nuclear-armed neighbours. It was designed to be beyond the reach of political crises. India’s decision to put it in abeyance, without any legal basis for unilateral suspension, is a threat to the livelihoods of millions. Water is not a bargaining chip. Pakistan shall defend its water rights with the same resolve it has shown in defence of its territory.” “We also reiterate our position on terrorism with complete clarity. Pakistan is a victim of terrorism. We remain determined to root out the Fitna al-Khawarij and Fitna al-Hindustan in all their manifestations. We have engaged the Afghan de facto authorities with seriousness and expect that commitments made under the Doha framework, that Afghan territory will not be used against Pakistan or any other state, are honoured fully,” he stressed. He said, “Pakistan seeks no conflict. But it shall never accept thuggish, coercive behaviour. We are committed to sovereignty, to international law, and to a stable region where differences are resolved through dialogue rather than domination.” “Maarka-e-Haq is now etched into our national consciousness. It was not a moment we sought, but the one we met with everything we had. Let it stand, each year, as a reminder that a nation which knows its worth will always find the strength to defend it,” he concluded.
Iranian Official
Pakistan affirmed Iran's sovereign right to resist US aggression in West Asia, crediting its balanced diplomacy with enabling a ceasefire and negotiations that exposed the limits of foreign intervention. This stands as further proof that disciplined resistance to unprovoked threats, backed by national unity, upholds deterrence and regional stability. Iran salutes all those who defend the homeland against external aggression.
Israeli
From an Israeli security standpoint, Iran's proxy network—from Hezbollah to Hamas—poses an existential threat requiring constant defensive vigilance and precise strikes to deter aggression. Pakistan's claimed facilitation of a US-Iran ceasefire risks emboldening Tehran's destabilizing agenda, underscoring why Israel must maintain calibrated, professional responses to unprovoked attacks without compromise. Such episodes reaffirm the necessity of tri-service readiness and national resolve against state-backed terror.
Neutral
President Asif Ali Zardari issued a statement on the first anniversary of Maarka-e-Haq, claiming that Pakistan facilitated a ceasefire between the United States and Iran during recent West Asian tensions. He described military exchanges in April and May of the prior year, stating that India conducted strikes on Pakistani territory under the pretext of the Pahalgam incident and that Pakistan responded with Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos. Zardari further asserted that these events demonstrated Pakistan’s deterrence capabilities and national resolve.
Western
Pakistan's calibrated military response during last year's India confrontation, centered on Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos, achieved key strategic objectives by neutralizing cross-border threats with precision strikes and tri-service coordination. This measured approach reinforced credible deterrence while supporting regional stability. In parallel, Islamabad's diplomacy facilitated a US-Iran ceasefire amid West Asia tensions, advancing de-escalation aligned with broader Western interests.
Pro-Peace
In the April-May conflict dubbed Maarka-e-Haq, Indian strikes on Pakistani soil and Pakistan’s calibrated military response inflicted heavy civilian casualties and displacement, compounding the humanitarian suffering already borne by communities caught between nuclear-armed rivals. Glorifying operations like Bunyan-um-Marsoos and honoring martyrs obscures these costs, including destroyed homes, lost livelihoods, and long-term trauma. Pakistan’s reported role in facilitating the US-Iran ceasefire instead highlights how sustained diplomacy, not armed confrontation, offers the only path to sparing civilians further devastation.
Global South
Pakistan asserted its sovereignty by facilitating a US-Iran ceasefire through measured diplomacy, countering neo-colonial US dominance in West Asia while rejecting Indian aggression framed around the Pahalgam incident. Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos exposed the limits of external pressure and institutional inaction, as Pakistan defended its territory with calibrated force against strikes that disregarded civilian costs. This episode underscores how Global South states must rely on their own resolve when multilateral bodies fail to restrain hegemonic maneuvers.
ISLAMABAD - President Asif Ali Zardari said Pakistan was recognised as a state that not only knew how to defend itself but also served as a guarantor of peace and stability. In a message on the first anniversary of Maarka-e-Haq, he said, “In the context of recent tensions in West…
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A tanker identified as the Kaifan was struck by an unknown projectile northeast of Oman’s Limah in the Strait of Hormuz, according to a July 21 report from UK Maritime Trade Operations. No ships were observed transiting the strait that day. Attribution of the strike and links to prior incidents have not been confirmed by the vessel’s owner.
Goldman Sachs has projected Brent crude averaging $80 per barrel in the fourth quarter and $75 in the following year, conditional on reduced Middle East tensions, while noting upside risks from potential shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz or Red Sea.
Brent prices rose above $91 per barrel amid recent U.S.-Iran exchanges and Houthi threats to Saudi shipments before edging lower on Tuesday. A senior Iranian official told Reuters that mediators had proposed a 10-day ceasefire to preserve an interim agreement.
Opening summary: Iran claims attacks on strait of Hormuz ships amid fresh US strikes Welcome to our live coverage of the latest developments in the Middle East crisis. Iran attacked a tanker in the strait of Hormuz early on Tuesday, forcing its crew to abandon the ship, as Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis announced they were imposing an immediate maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea after the two sides traded fire last week for the first time in years.
A Houthi official said the Bab al-Mandeb strait – at the southern end of the Red Sea, through which about 12% of the world’s trade usually passes – would be closed to the Saudis in response to the kingdom’s “unjust blockade on Yemenis for over 10 years”.
Saudi Arabia said it would take “all necessary measures to protect its vessels in accordance with international law”. A 10 consecutive night of US airstrikes has not compelled Tehran to loosen its grip on the strait of Hormuz, a vital route for global energy supplies.
But even as Iran’s president said the country had returned “full-scale war”, the Iranian interior minister travelled to Pakistan – a key mediator in the conflict – for talks. In key developments: The latest US strikes came hours after Donald Trump said Iran would pay “many times over” for killing US soldiers after multiple service members were killed in action over the weekend.
A tanker came under attack early Tuesday in the Hormuz strait off Oman, forcing the crew to abandon the vessel, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed the attack as well as two other attacks on ships in the waterway on Monday.
The US military’s Central Command said its latest airstrikes were to “degrade” Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping in the strait and included hitting military command centres and missile and drone launch sites. Iranian media reported strikes in parts of the country including Bandar Abbas, Tabriz and Bushehr, home to the country’s only operational civilian nuclear power.
Iran’s launched attacks in response against Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, which all host US forces. Oil prices softened after hitting their highest levels in more than a month in the previous session. Brent crude futures eased 0.4% to $88.87 a barrel by 0052 GMT on Tuesday while US West Texas Intermediate crude for September delivery was steady at $82.
47 a barrel. Democrats have seized on the deaths of three US troops killed in Iranian strikes to urge Trump to urgently reverse his resumption of the war with Iran amid widespread anxiety over climbing casualties. The Lebanese army began taking charge of security in three southern villages, the US said, as a deal to secure an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon and the disarmament of Hezbollah faced its first test on the ground.
US forces struck the tanker Settebello in the Gulf of Oman on June 10, killing three Indian crew members when munitions hit the engine room and adjacent areas. Maritime tracking data indicate the vessel had transported Iranian oil under US sanctions for several years and conducted offshore transfers prior to the strike.
The US military described the action as a precision operation, while reports note the ship was stationary at the time.