ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held a telephone conversation with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi on Tuesday to discuss the evolving situation in the region.
According to a statement shared by the Foreign Office on X, Dar and Grossi agreed that implementing the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) would be the best way to help reduce tensions in the region.
Grossi also offered to provide technical assistance if required, the statement said.
The Foreign Office said Dar reaffirmed Pakistan’s enduring commitment to advancing the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter and respecting international law and treaties.
The two sides also stressed the importance of the UN system in pursuing the global agenda for peace and development.
Dar conveyed his best wishes to Grossi for his candidature for the post of United Nations secretary-general.
Houthis launch fresh attacks on Saudi Arabia as Hormuz talks stall
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis launched another wave of missile and drone attacks against Saudi Arabia on Tuesday while strengthening their positions along Yemen’s western Red Sea coast, according to Yemeni officials.
The escalation came as Gulf Arab states postponed planned talks with Iran on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, raising concerns that the wider Middle East conflict could further threaten global energy supplies, Reuters reported.
The Houthis claimed they had fired dozens of missiles and drones at a military airbase in Khamis Mushait in southern Saudi Arabia.
According to the group, the attacks targeted aircraft hangars, radar equipment, runways and ammunition depots and were carried out in retaliation for Saudi airstrikes in Yemen.
Saudi authorities issued emergency warnings in several southern cities, while the Saudi-led coalition said 13 civilians had been wounded.
The Houthi advance has added pressure on Saudi oil exports. The group recently seized Perim Island near the entrance to the Red Sea, while an attack last week reportedly disabled Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline.
Riyadh blamed the pipeline attack on Iran-backed militias in Iraq.
The 1,200-kilometre pipeline was built to provide an alternative route for exporting Gulf oil when shipping through the Strait of Hormuz is threatened.
Traders estimate that a prolonged closure of the strait could disrupt up to 4% of global oil supplies while the waterway remains largely blocked.
Saudi and Yemeni forces have intensified airstrikes against Houthi positions, including areas near the Red Sea port of Mocha. However, officials said the Houthis continued to control most of Yemen’s western coastline.
The renewed fighting also poses a challenge for US President Donald Trump, whose administration has so far resisted Saudi requests for direct military intervention beyond intelligence and targeting assistance.