Progress Software has released updates to address two security flaws in MOVEit Automation, including a critical bug that could result in an authentication bypass.
MOVEit Automation (formerly Central) is a secure, server-based managed file transfer (MFT) solution used to schedule and automate file movement workflows in enterprise environments without requiring any custom scripts.
The vulnerabilities in question are CVE-2026-4670 (CVSS score: 9.8), an authentication bypass vulnerability, and CVE-2026-5174 (CVSS score: 7.7), an improper input validation vulnerability that could allow privilege escalation.
“Critical and high vulnerabilities in MOVEit Automation may allow authentication bypass and privilege escalation through the service backend command port interfaces,” Progress Software said in an advisory. “Exploitation may lead to unauthorized access, administrative control, and data exposure.”
The shortcomings affect the following versions –
MOVEit Automation <= 2025.1.4 (Fixed in MOVEit Automation 2025.1.5)
MOVEit Automation <= 2025.0.8 (Fixed in MOVEit Automation 2025.0.9)
MOVEit Automation <= 2024.1.7 (Fixed in MOVEit Automation 2024.1.8)
Airbus SecLab researchers Anaïs Gantet, Delphine Gourdou, Quentin Liddell, and Matteo Ricordeau have been credited with discovering and reporting the two vulnerabilities. There are no workarounds that resolve the issues.
While Progress makes no mention of the flaws being exploited in the wild, it’s essential that users apply the fixes as soon as possible for optimal protection, particularly given that prior flaws in MOVEit Transfer have been exploited by ransomware gangs like Cl0p.
Nepal complains after India and China agree to resume a religious pilgrimage through a contested Himalayan pass.
Published On 4 May 20264 May 2026
A long-running border dispute between Nepal and India has flared up after New Delhi announced the resumption of a religious pilgrimage through a contested Himalayan pass.
Kathmandu’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs lodged a protest against India on Sunday, criticising New Delhi for resuming the pilgrimage. The Lipulekh Pass, which sits where Nepal meets India and Tibet is claimed by Nepal based on the 1816 Treaty of Sugauli, which it entered into with India’s British colonial rulers to define its western border.
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In its complaint, the ministry stressed that the territories of Limpiadhura, Lipulekh and Kalapani are part of Nepal, “a position on which the government remains clear and firm”.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs responded by asserting that Lipulekh has been used by Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and Bon followers for the Kailash Manasarovar pilgrimage to Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar in Tibet since 1954.
“This is not a new development,” a spokesman said. “India has consistently maintained that such claims are neither justified nor based on historical facts and evidence. Such unilateral artificial enlargement of territorial claims is untenable.”
The dispute reignited when India announced on Thursday that it had agreed with China that the pilgrimage via Lipulekh would resume. It was suspended in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Under the plan, 500 Hindu pilgrims will travel through the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand to cross into China at the Lipulekh Pass. Others will use a separate route through the northeastern Indian state of Sikkim.
The state government has taken a big decision regarding the convenience of electricity consumers in Uttar Pradesh and quick resolution of their problems. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath As per the instructions of now all prepaid meters will function as postpaid smart meters. Like before, the date of bill submission will be mentioned in the electricity bill. Along with this, consumers have also been given a big relief to pay their dues in 10 installments.
Uttar Pradesh Energy and Additional Energy Sources Minister A.K. Sharma gave detailed information in this regard after the meeting. He told that the billing cycle will remain the same as it was in earlier postpaid meters. Like before, one month bill for consumption from 1st to the end of the month will be given on SMS and WhatsApp. Consumers whose mobile number has changed can get their number updated.
This decision will provide relief to lakhs of electricity consumers of the state. The billing process will be simple and transparent, adequate time will be provided for payment and prompt resolution of complaints will be ensured.
The Energy Minister said that all smart meter consumers will get bills by the 10th of every month. 15 days time will be given for payment from the date of receipt of the bill. Consumers who do not receive the bill on time will be able to get their bill and outstanding bills by informing the combination number on WhatsApp chatbots. This bill can also be obtained by filing a complaint on the 1912 portal.
You can deposit your dues in 10 installments
To provide convenience to the consumers, a big decision has been taken that whatever bill remains outstanding till April 30 (before the May bill), the consumer can deposit it in 10 installments. If any consumer has any problem related to bill, then by organizing a big camp at the block and sub-division level in the month of May and June, facility will be provided to resolve the complaint related to smart meter bill. The consumer can also register his complaint on the 1912 portal.
Relief in depositing security amount also
Those consumers who had postpaid to prepaid meters installed in their premises and their security was returned, now when the postpaid system is implemented, their security will be taken in 4 installments instead of a lump sum.
Strict instructions on power supply also
While reviewing the power supply, the Energy Minister directed the officials to ensure uninterrupted power supply in all areas as per the prescribed schedule. He said that transformers should not be damaged and if they are damaged somewhere, they should be replaced immediately, so that consumers do not face any kind of problem.
If you do not receive the bill, contact here Purvanchal: +91 8010968292 Madhyanchal: +91 7669003409 Paschimanchal: +91 7859804803 Dakshinachal: +91 8010957826 Kesco (Kanpur): +91 8287835233
In this meeting held at Shakti Bhawan, Additional Chief Secretary Energy and Chairman of Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Dr. Ashish Kumar Goyal along with Managing Director Nitish Kumar and other senior officers were present.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani doubled down on his position to abolish U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after agitators protested agents outside a Brooklyn hospital over the weekend.
The protest occurred while an illegal immigrant was receiving treatment over the weekend for injuries sustained while allegedly attempting to attack authorities.
Mamdani, a frequent critic of ICE and the Trump administration’s deportation agenda, voiced his opposition after a video circulated online showing a New York police officer throwing a protester to the ground outside Wyckoff Heights Medical Center on Saturday.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Mamdani stated there was no coordination between the NYPD and ICE, noting that officers were specifically responding to the protest outside the hospital.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks during a May Day rally at Washington Square Park in New York City on May 1, 2026. On Monday, Mamdani called for ICE to be abolished following the arrest of an illegal immigrant.(Yuki Iwamura/AP)
“I’ve made it very clear that our laws leave no room for interpretation: our NYPD will not participate in civil immigration enforcement,” he said. “And I’ve also been very clear about my views on ICE raids as a whole. I think they are cruel.”
The mayor then referenced the arrest of Chidozie Wilson Okeke, a Nigerian national who overstayed his visa and has previous arrests for assault and drug possession, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Okeke was detained “by armed federal agents without any active warrant,” Mamdani said. “And this is incredibly concerning. It’s why I’ve said time and again that I believe ICE should be abolished.”
NYPD officers respond to an anti-ICE protest in Brooklyn.(FNTV)
According to officials, during the encounter with federal agents, Okeke refused to comply with commands to exit his car and attempted to strike agents with the vehicle. He is accused of being “physically combative” and attempting to punch and elbow agents.
“Our officers followed their training and used the minimum amount of force necessary to make the arrest,” DHS said in a statement.
Following the arrest, Okeke was taken to Wyckoff Heights Medical Center for a medical evaluation. DHS reported that Okeke “remained non-compliant during the medical evaluation, throwing himself to the floor and screaming,” though he was eventually cleared by medical staff.
ICE agents drag a migrant from a hospital during an arrest operation.(FNTV)
Okeke originally entered the United States on a tourist visa in 2023 and had been required to leave the country by February 26, 2024.
Video footage shows ICE agents dragging Okeke out of the hospital following his evaluation. During his time inside, a crowd of anti-ICE protesters gathered outside. DHS stated that the group damaged several ICE vehicles and assaulted agents, resulting in minor injuries.
Six protesters, Sharon Freystaetter, Presleigh Hayashida, Chloe Sells, Tomas Laster, Jennifer Hansen and Caswell Parker, are all charged with disorderly conduct and second-degree obstructing governmental administration. Additionally, all but Sells are also charged with resisting arrest.
Medics are scrambling to evacuate two people from a luxury cruise ship stranded off the coast of Cape Verde, after a suspected outbreak of a rare respiratory virus killed three people, left three others seriously ill and forced nearly 150 people from across the world to isolate onboard.
The plight of the MV Hondius, which set off in March from southern Argentina carrying 149 people from 23 countries, emerged late on Sunday after the World Health Organization said it was investigating a suspected outbreak of hantavirus, a disease primarily found in rodents.
The UN health agency linked the rare disease to the deaths of three people, including a married couple from the Netherlands and a German national, and blamed it for making at least two others on the ship serious ill and sending a 69-year-old British tourist to intensive care in South Africa.
On Monday, a US travel blogger on the ship said the most difficult part was the question over what would come next for those onboard. “We’re not just headlines: we are people,” Jake Rosmarin said as he fought back tears in a video posted to social media. “People with families, with lives, with people waiting for us at home. There’s a lot of uncertainty, and that’s the hardest part.”
The cruise ship operator Oceanwide Expeditions said the first passenger, a Dutch national, had died on 11 April and that the cause of death had not been determined onboard. “On 24 April, this passenger was disembarked on St Helena, with his wife accompanying the repatriation,” it said in a statement.
Days later, the company said it had been informed that a woman, also a Dutch national, had become unwell and later died. Officials in South Africa said the woman, 69, collapsed at an airport in the country as she was trying to return to the Netherlands. She later died at a nearby hospital.
On 27 April, another person on the MV Hondius, a British national, became seriously ill and had to be evacuated to South Africa. He remains in intensive care in Johannesburg, where he is in critical but stable condition. “A variant of hantavirus has been identified in this patient,” the company said.
Another passenger, a German national, died on 2 May, of a cause “not yet … established”.
Two crew members, of British and Dutch nationality, had acute respiratory symptoms, one mild and one severe, and both required urgent medical care, the company said.
It noted that hantavirus infections, which are usually spread by infected rodents’ urine or faeces and can lead to severe respiratory illness and death,had not been confirmed in the two crew members. “Nor has it been established that the virus is connected to the three deaths associated with this voyage,” it said. “The exact cause and any possible connection are being investigated.”
The MV Hondius anchored off the coast of Praia, on the island of Santiago, Cape Verde. Photograph: Elton Monteiro/EPA
Oceanwide Expeditions said almost 150 people of 23 nationalities had been onboard the ship. While it did not specify which cruise the passengers were on, the company’s website suggests it offers 33-night or 43-night “Atlantic Odyssey” cruises on the 107-metre-long (351ft) Hondius. Departing from Argentina, the tours travel through Antarctica and stop off at some of the world’s most remote islands.
The ship is currently anchored off the coast of Cape Verde, with passengers informed of what happened. “Strict precautionary measures are in process onboard, including isolation measures, hygiene protocols and medical monitoring,” said Oceanwide Expeditions.
The vessel had asked to dock at a port in Cape Verde but on Monday health authorities in the country said they would not authorise its docking “with the aim of protecting national public health”.
Instead they said they were incontact with authorities in the Netherlands and the UK about the Dutch-flagged ship. “This coordination has enabled a swift, safe and technically appropriate response, ensuring the clinical monitoring of patients and the preparation of all necessary precautionary measures, including a possible medical evacuation by air via air ambulance for patients under observation,” they added.
Oceanwide Expeditions said it was considering sailing to Spain’s Canary Islands, potentially Las Palmas or Tenerife, where further medical screening and handling could take place.
The company said it was working with Dutch authorities to organise the repatriation of the two crew members. “The body of the deceased individual is also planned to be included in this repatriation, along with a guest closely associated with the deceased,” it said, noting that the accompanying guest was “not symptomatic”.
It said the repatriation relied on several authorities working together. “This repatriation depends on many factors, including the authorisation and support of local Cape Verdean health authorities for the transfer of individuals requiring medical attention from MV Hondius.”
The Netherlands’ National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), which is assisting with the situation, said the source of the infection remained unclear.
“You could imagine, for example, that rats on board the ship transmitted the virus,” a spokesperson told Reuters. “But another possibility is that during a stop somewhere in South America, people were infected, for instance via mice, and became ill that way. That all still needs to be investigated.”
On Monday, the WHO said the risk to the wider public remained low and that there was no need for panic or travel restrictions.“To date, one case of hantavirus infection has been laboratory confirmed, and there are five additional suspected cases,” it said in an earlier statement on Sunday.
South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases was carrying out contact tracing in and around Johannesburg in order to assess whether people had been exposed to the infected passengers.
The UK’s Foreign Office said it was closely monitoring reports of the suspected outbreak. “We are in touch with the cruise company and local authorities,” it said.
While it is rare, hantavirus infections can spread between people, according to the WHO. The family of viruses made headlines last year after the actor Gene Hackman’s wife, Betsy Arakawa, died following a hantavirus infection in New Mexico.
In 2019, a hantavirus outbreak in southern Argentina killed at least nine people. As officials raced to halt the spread of the disease, a judge ordered dozens of residents of a remote town to stay in their homes for 30 days, according to the Associated Press.
After Lane Kiffin took the weekend to troll college football fans on Twitter, Dan gives a reality check about coaching, noting that Curt Cignetti, at the very least, gives the impression that all he does is watch football and coach. Whereas Lane Kiffin makes it very clear that he is online and spending time unfocused on coaching, which never looks good
As a teacher, you can’t simply label chugging gin out of a water bottle in front of students as a “horrible mistake” and think that all will be forgotten. That’s not how it works, especially not when you then start slurring your words before vomiting in the staff bathroom.
A couple of sips here and there you might get away with categorizing as a horrible mistake, but getting to the point where students are asking if you’re drunk is how you get fired and banned from the profession.
The professional conduct panel in Nottingham, England, that took a closer look at what went down in Annika Kiran Kapur’s classroom in January 2025, that led to her being fired, decided to suspend her indefinitely, according to The Independent.
A teacher is banned from her profession after chugging gin in front of students.(Getty)
Witnesses told the panel that the former teacher was slurring her words and acting in “an exaggerated manner.” She also, while intoxicated, according to a witness, complained about her students not listening and said, “This class terrifies me.”
Kapur admitted to being guilty of unacceptable professional conduct, but had an explanation for her “horrible mistake.”
She says she brought her water bottle with gin and lemon to school by accident. She explained that it had been left in her bag from her “birthday weekend.” According to her, she didn’t know that it still had alcohol in it.
The banned teacher blamed her birthday weekend for the booze ending up in her classroom.(Getty)
But once she realized that there was alcohol in it, she couldn’t just spit it out. She was stuck between a rock and a hard place. If she spit the gin out, she risked having the students be curious as to what was in her water bottle.
Sure, there were risks if she kept drinking it, but that seemed like the safer bet. She then proceeded to chug about a third of the bottle and said she “chugged it to stop myself vomiting.”
Odd behavior followed along with the appearance that she was unsteady on her feet, according to witnesses. When she was asked to step out of her classroom, Kapur had to head for the bathroom to throw up.
The teacher’s explanations didn’t add up and she’s indefinitely banned from teaching.(Getty)
Sometimes the birthday weekend gets away from you, and you find yourself chugging gin and throwing up at work. Who hasn’t been there before? I don’t know if going with that version of events would have helped her case any or not.
Kapur isn’t eligible to apply to have her prohibition order set aside until April 2028.
Gorakhpur MP Ravi Kishan addressed the Prime Minister on BJP’s historic victory in three states including West Bengal. Narendra ModiHome Minister Amit Shah and Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath Also congratulated BJP workers. He has expressed his gratitude especially to the workers for the landslide victory in West Bengal, Assam and Puducherry.
‘Bengal became independent after years on a new thinking’
Gorakhpur MP Ravi Kishan expressed enthusiastic reaction to the spectacular election success of Bharatiya Janata Party in West Bengal, Assam and Pondicherry, calling it a historic moment. He said, “Bengal has not only won the elections today, but after years has become independent on the path of new thinking and development.” He said that this victory is the result of the trust of the people of the country, the policies of BJP and the tireless hard work of the workers.
‘Standing with BJP on issues of public development and national interest’
He further said that ‘this victory is not only of the leaders, but of every worker who worked day and night to take the ideology of the party to the people. Every worker deserves congratulations, whose hard work has paid off today.
The MP also said that the people of the country are now clearly standing with BJP on issues of development, good governance and national interest. He expressed confidence that in the coming times, the central and state governments will work together to make the country more powerful and self-reliant. In the end, while congratulating all the victorious candidates, he said that this mandate also brings the responsibility of fulfilling the expectations of the public, which will be fulfilled with full devotion and dedication.
United States Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has accused China of “funding the largest state sponsor of terrorism”, referring to Iran, saying that Beijing should help Washington in efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Bessent’s blunt criticism of China’s relations with Iran on Monday comes ahead of US President Donald Trump’s expected visit to Beijing next week, where he is set to meet with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.
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“Iran is the largest state sponsor of terrorism, and China has been buying 90 percent of their energy, so they are funding the largest state sponsor of terrorism,” Bessent told Fox News.
Despite the accusation, the US official called on Beijing to join Washington in its campaign to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which has been blocked by Iran.
“The attacks from Iran have closed the strait. We are reopening it. So I would urge the Chinese to join us in supporting this international operation,” Bessent said.
Trump had announced on Sunday that the US would “guide” ships stranded in Hormuz out of the strait, warning Iran against interfering with the operation, dubbed “Project Freedom”.
Bessent said the US is saying that the Iranians “do not have control” of Hormuz. “We have absolute control of the strait,” he added.
Still, the secretary of the US Treasury suggested that China should use its leverage over Iran to help resolve the crisis. “Let’s see them step up with some diplomacy and get the Iranians to open the strait,” he said.
Trump’s ‘maximum pressure’
Bessent also noted that China and Russia have vetoed efforts to condemn the Iranian blockade of Hormuz at the United Nations Security Council.
Beijing and Moscow had blocked a UN draft resolution over Hormuz earlier this month, saying that it was one-sided and only denounced Tehran without addressing the US and Israeli attacks on Iran.
Chinese Ambassador Fu Cong said the draft “failed to capture the root causes and the full picture of the conflict in a comprehensive and balanced manner”.
Since nixing the multilateral nuclear deal with Iran during his first term in 2018, Trump has been trying to choke off the country’s energy experts through a “maximum pressure” campaign of sanctions.
The agreement – formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – saw Iran drastically scale back its nuclear programme under international supervision in exchange for lifting financial penalties against its economy.
Even after the collapse of the JCPOA, China continued to import Iranian oil.
Last week, after the US imposed sanctions on Chinese entities linked to the oil trade with Iran, Beijing said that it does not recognise Washington’s claimed jurisdiction over financial transactions it is not involved in.
“China opposes illicit unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian.
“We urge the US to stop willfully slapping sanctions and using long-arm jurisdiction. China will firmly defend the lawful rights and interests of Chinese companies.”
US-China relations
The emerging tensions over Iran follow a period of warming ties between China and the US after the two countries reached a preliminary trade deal late last year.
For years, the US has portrayed China as its top global competitor, laying out plans to counter Beijing’s growing economic, geopolitical and military power.
The relationship between the two countries soured in past years over issues that included disagreements on trade, Beijing’s claims to the South China Sea, and the status of Taiwan, the self-governed island China claims as its own.
But since returning to the White House in January 2025, Trump and his administration have said that Washington aims to shift its foreign policy resources to focus on the Western Hemisphere, rather than the competition in the Asia-Pacific region.
Bessent said on Monday that the summit next week will allow Trump and Xi to exchange views in person.
“We’ve had great stability in the relationship, and again, that comes from the two leaders having great respect for each other,” he said.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., used a variation of a common attack on Democrats, turning it on President Donald Trump over the weekend. “Jeffries Derangement Syndrome.”
Sharing a screenshot of a Trump post that called Jeffries “a Low IQ individual” and suggested he be impeached for calling the Supreme Court “illegitimate,” the Democratic leader responded with three words.
“Jeffries Derangement Syndrome,” he said,
The phrase “Trump Derangement Syndrome” is often used by Trump supporters to describe people who vehemently oppose the president regardless of what he is doing.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries speaks during his weekly press conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on March 19, 2026. President Donald Trump takes questions from the media alongside Taoiseach Micheál Martin during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House on March 17, 2026, in Washington, D.C.(Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images; Alex Wong/Getty Images)
This exchange followed a Friday Truth Social post in which the president asserted, “Low IQ Democrat Minority Leader, Hakeem Jeffries, is nothing but a THUG, and he is a danger to our Country!” The post includes a photo of the congressman holding a baseball bat.
President Trump raises a fist as he departs Doral, Florida en route to his Palm Beach mansion on May 2, 2026 in Palm Beach, Fla.(Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images)
In a Saturday post on X, Jeffries shared a screenshot of the president’s message and mockingly wrote, “Do you need a hug? Be Best.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., speaks at a press conference with other members of the Congressional Black Caucus on the Supreme Court decision in Louisiana v. Callais, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. on April 29, 2026.(Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The United States has transferred 22 crew members from the Iranian container ship, the Touska, to Pakistan, in what Islamabad describes as a “confidence-building measure” during tension in the Strait of Hormuz.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) spokesman, Captain Tim Hawkins, said the crew had been handed over for repatriation. Pakistan’s foreign ministry confirmed the transfer, saying the sailors would be returned to Iranian authorities.
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The Touska was seized by US forces in the Gulf of Oman in the early hours of April 20, in what Tehran described as an act of “piracy”, after the US declared a naval blockade of Iranian ports. Iran had effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz following the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran.
On Monday, tensions continued to escalate in and around the Strait of Hormuz.
First, US President Donald Trump announced that US naval ships would help guide stranded vessels through the strait in an operation he dubbed “Project Freedom”.
Iran issued a new map of the strait with new boundaries further to the east, and warned shipping not to attempt to pass without coordinating with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Then, state media reported that two Iranian missiles struck a US naval vessel near Jask Island in the strait after ignoring warnings from the IRGC to turn back. Washington denied any attack.
Amid continued interceptions and seizures of vessels by both sides, questions remain over whether the two countries can de-escalate and reach a broader peace agreement. Pakistan has been central to these efforts, seeking to keep diplomatic channels open, but talks hosted in Islamabad last month ended without a breakthrough.
Iran’s foreign ministry says it is reviewing Washington’s response to its 14-point proposal aimed at ending the conflict sent via Pakistan on Friday. As Pakistan continues to mediate, Trump previously described Tehran’s offer as “unacceptable”.
What happened to the Touska?
The Iran-flagged Touska was seized by US forces in the Gulf of Oman, close to the Strait of Hormuz, on April 20 after Washington accused the crew of failing to comply with the US naval blockade on Iranian ports. Shortly after midnight local time in Iran, CENTCOM said the USS Spruance fired its 5-inch (127mm) deck gun at the vessel’s engine room, disabling it.
According to the US military, the ship was attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz en route to Iran’s main commercial port, Bandar Abbas.
The Touska, a small container ship operated by the sanctioned Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL), was boarded near Iran’s Chabahar port. US Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit captured the vessel after what CENTCOM said were repeated warnings over six hours.
Video released by the US military showed Marines descending from helicopters launched from the USS Tripoli and securing the Tusk.
Iran condemned the capture as a violation of international law and an act of “piracy“, before demanding the immediate release of the vessel and its crew.
What does the release of the Touska’s crew mean, diplomatically?
Pakistan has positioned itself as a mediator between Washington and Tehran, and is now framing the transfer of the Touska crew as a step towards de-escalation of tensions. In a statement, the Pakistani foreign ministry said the move reflected a “confidence-building measure” and reaffirmed its commitment to facilitating dialogue.
US and Iranian delegations met in Islamabad last month for their first talks since 1979. Although negotiations ended without a deal, they marked a rare moment of direct engagement.
Pakistan has since coordinated with regional powers, including Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, Qatar and Egypt, while maintaining close communications with China, in an effort to build broader support for de-escalation.
In a call with Iran’s Foreign Minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, on Monday, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister, Ishaq Dar, reiterated that diplomacy remains the only viable path to stability. Tehran, in turn, acknowledged Islamabad’s mediation efforts.
(Al Jazeera)
Will this de-escalate tensions in the Strait of Hormuz?
There are not many signs that it will.
Indeed, tensions in the Strait of Hormuz have continued to increase despite the release of the crew members.
Most notably, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard published a new map on Monday outlining what it claims is an expanded zone of control in the waterway, stretching from Iranian and Omani territory to include the territorial waters of the United Arab Emirates as well.
Analysts say this new claim exceeds internationally recognised boundaries. The UAE has accused Iran of launching drones at an oil tanker linked to Abu Dhabi’s national energy company, while Washington has dismissed Iranian reports of an attack on a US warship as false.
Military analyst Alexandru Hudisteanu, a maritime security expert who served 13 years in the Romanian navy, told Al Jazeera on Monday that the conflicting claims reflect a broader test of resolve. “Any attempt to open the strait will likely be met with resistance from Iran,” he said, adding that Tehran views control of Hormuz as its primary leverage in negotiations.
Hudisteanu warned that the situation carries a high risk of miscalculation, with both sides continuing to operate in close proximity. For Iran, the Strait of Hormuz is the “only leverage” it has for peace negotiations, Hudisteanu said.
Iranian analyst Foad Izadi argued that the ceasefire effectively collapsed when the US imposed its blockade, which he described as “an act of war”. He added that the targeting and seizure of ships along the Strait of Hormuz further undermined any notion of a truce.
“Attacking an Iranian ship’s engine is an act of war as well,” he added, despite the release of the Touska’s crew signalling some short-term goodwill between the US and Iran.
