Yemen's Houthi rebels launch fresh attacks on Saudi-backed government troops, says Yemeni state media, as Cruz says Trump must seek "regime collapse."

Iran has criticised the newly signed Mecca Joint Defence Agreement involving Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Tehran says lasting security depends on policy changes, not military partnerships.

In April, the Pakistani government hosted in Islamabad the first direct US-Iran talks in decades. They culminated in the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed in June by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Trump.

The U.S. and Iran have resumed striking each other for more that a week, ever since the collapse of a ceasefire deal over control of the Strait of Hormuz. Pakistan, the country that helped mediate the first ceasefire between the U.

(Changes story date to July 24) By Asif Shahzad and Mubasher Bukhari ISLAMABAD, July 24 (Reuters) - Pakistan is exploring a path towards a resumption of stalled U.S.-Iran talks over ending their nearly five-month-old war,

The negotiations between the US and Iran are “ongoing” to restore stability, particularly in the Strait of Hormuz, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said at a weekly briefing in Islamabad.

Donald Trump expects the conflict to end soon but acknowledged problems with supplies of some weapons. Iran is meanwhile considering legislation to bar US, Israeli and other “hostile” vessels from the Strait of Hormuz.

Follow The Hindu LIVE for latest updates on the West Asia war even as Iran said it is in the “final stage” of drafting an agreement with Oman over the Strait of Hormuz