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THERE was more than a hint of trepidation when Donald Trump declared last week that he would not attend his firstborn son’s wedding because he was too caught up in matters of state, including the paused assault against Iran.

It wouldn’t be out of character, claimed an American wit, for Trump to invade Cuba as an excuse for avoiding the matrimonial festivities.

There was also speculation that the latest Gulf war might resume — which indeed partially occurred on Monday, albeit with no Iranian response until the time of writing, and despite the flurry of diplomatic activity. Nothing new happened on the Cuban front either, but Cuba’s status as the next target for trumped-up imperialism remains intact.

Last week’s revelation of a facetious indictment against Raúl Castro over Cuba’s defensive action against the invasion of its airspace by a CIA-sponsored entity suggested that the Trump regime might be planning to re-establish its hegemony over the island by kidnapping its former president in an operation akin to the abduction of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.

It’s more than likely that Fidel Castro would have been the primary target, had he not died 10 years ago. His birth centenary will be celebrated in August. Raúl turns 95 next week. It wouldn’t be surprising if he has no intention of being captured alive by the North American monster Cuba has been confronted with since long before its transformative 1959 revolution.

In the early years of the revolution, Raúl and his comrade-in-arms Ernesto Guevara came across as more inclined towards communism than Fidel, whose youthful past lay in the student wing of a bourgeois-democratic party. The latter was briefly seen as someone the US could do business with. Once the revolutionary government shut down US-owned casinos and bordellos, and nationalised properties belonging to US MNCs, the mood changed.

By the time the likes of Nikita Khrushchev, Jawaharlal Nehru and Malcolm X were embracing Fidel at his Harlem hotel in New York in September 1960, US agencies were already planning his murder. Fidel’s 4.5-hour speech at the UN — still a record — did not endear him to either the official or the criminal stalwarts of the host nation. The mafia that had lost its lucrative operations in Havana was involved. None of the 600-plus assassination plots succeeded.

Cuba’s status as the next target remains intact.

Fidel gave the reins of government to his younger brother in 2006. Raúl was seen as less orthodox. He introduced himself to Barack Obama at Nelson Mandela’s funeral in 2013, and three years later Obama became the first sitting US president to visit Cuba.

Fidel, by then the maximum leader emeritus, was less than enthusiastic. It’s hard to fault his foresight, given the thaw didn’t last. It was back to square one with the advent of Trump, whose short-lived national security aide wrote up a plan for overrunning Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua, the three thorns in America’s rear flank.

Nicaragua’s 1979 Sandinista revolution overthrew the US-backed Somoza dictatorship. Washington responded with the brutal Contra rebels, whom Ronald Reagan compared to his nation’s founding fathers. The Sandinistas were overthrown via electoral means, but by the time Daniel Ortega returned to power in 2007, he had evolved from a revolutionary into a reactionary.

Unlike Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez, who survived a US-backed coup attempt in 2002 but eventually succumbed to cancer. He made the mistake of ordaining Maduro as his successor. Despite the errors of the latter’s ways, evidence of his predecessor’s influence can still be found in the favelas of Caracas and beyond. Who can say how Delcy Rod­ríguez or her sponsors will choose to crush it.

The Trump reg­ime’s rampage thr­ough Latin America incl­u­des plots against Mex­ico and Colombia, which are still ruled by left-leaning parties. Unsur­pr­is­ingly, the Honduras-gate leaks implicate Israel in the plot to obliterate progressive tendencies across Latin America. Time will tell, but so far there is no guarantee that the ‘hege-moron’s’ mischief in America’s ‘backyard’ and beyond will cease in 2028, given that the Democratic alternative has been equally repulsive.

Over the decades, the Cuban revolution has had its ups and downs. Its health and education initiatives remain unmatched. Its eagerness to share its achievements with the rest of the world, not least through deploying doctors where they are most needed, is unique. As a Cuban surgeon recently commented while acknowledging his nation’s shortcomings, “Cuba is not a failed state waiting to be rescued. Cuba is a people — brilliant, stubborn, generous and vibrant — who have refused for 65 years to become someone else’s market.”

More than 65 years of US sanctions may yet succeed in strangling the remains of the revolution, but there remains a small chance the revolution will survive Marco Rubio’s worst intentions.

mahir.dawn@gmail.com

Published in Dawn, May 27th, 2026

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PAKISTAN’S declining cotton economy is rapidly turning into a case study in policy contradiction.

Amid endless official rhetoric of an agricultural revival for export-led growth, the country is witnessing a surge in cotton imports even before the start of the new harvest. It is not simply the result of temporary domestic supply shortages; it is also the failure of cotton policy over many years.

The import order of 206,000 bales from the US — nearly the entire quantity of US cotton sold during the week — highlights the severity of the domestic supply crisis. Imports from Brazil are also rising sharply. Such large-scale imports before the arrival of the local crop are extraordinary and signal that our cotton supply chain is now structurally dependent on foreign supplies.

The consequences go beyond the farm sector or the downstream textile industry. Cotton imports could cost Pakistan billions of dollars.

For an economy struggling with chronic dollar shortages, weak reserves and recurring balance-of-payments crises, this is alarming.

That Pakistan is increasingly importing what it once produced competitively in quantities sufficient to feed its textile industry, sustain rural incomes and reduce pressure on foreign exchange reserves speaks volumes about the extent of the policy rot. We now have a cycle of shrinking output leading to increased imports.

Higher imports drain foreign exchange, and the ensuing external pressures either lead back to demand compression and reduction in textile exports or to another balance-of-payments crisis. The demand for tax relief, lower energy tariffs and reduced levies underline the financial stress across the value chain.

However, such incentives alone will not reverse the decline. We need a coherent long-term cotton strategy focused on research, seed development, water conservation, crop incentives and protection of agricultural institutions from political and commercial encroachment — or else, Pakistan might lose a key pillar of its export economy.

Published in Dawn, May 27th, 2026

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The largest online expression of dissent against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 12-year rule began with a satirical riposte to a jibe about young people, triggering death threats to its founder and pushback from ruling party politicians.

The rapid fame of 30-year-old Abhijeet Dipke and his Cockroach Janta Party, which says it represents “the lazy, the unemployed, and the chronically correct”, is driven by the concerns of the young in a country where those below 30 are estimated to number more than half a population of 1.42 billion.

Political analysts say the group’s enormous popularity has begun to dent Modi’s image, despite his party’s recent victories in key state elections, even as wider frustration grows over rising fuel prices and gas shortages brought by the Iran war.

“If all was well with the country and the economy, 20 million young people would not rally around something like this,” said political activist Yogendra Yadav, who was a top leader of a national movement against corruption in 2011.

“This is a critical moment that tells us something about the state of our polity: underlying all the claims of total dominance, there is a latent but widespread disquiet.”

The 75-year-old Modi has so dominated Indian politics since coming to power in 2014 on the back of massive street protests against government corruption that few analysts expect him to cede ground easily to any dissenter.

But the new movement, fuelled by persistently high youth unemployment and recurring leaks of examination papers that threaten to derail the careers of millions of students, hints at cracks in a carefully cultivated image of stability and control.

“This is their moment, but they need to walk carefully,” said prominent lawyer Prashant Bhushan, a founding figure of the anti-graft movement.

“If they want to take it forward they will have to organise and then come on the streets protesting on the issues which they have been raising online.”

Without such a presence, the movement risks fizzling out, analysts and supporters said, adding that Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, which draws much of its support from India’s Hindu majority, has steadily weakened the opposition.

Critics say its tactics include wielding investigative agencies against senior opposition politicians, but the government has responded by saying authorities had been given a free hand to tackle corruption.

Senior cabinet minister Kiren Rijiju has said Dipke’s group was undermining the worlds biggest democracy by choosing the name of an insect, while accusing it of seeking social media followers from Pakistan and the “anti-India gang”.

Sleepness nights creating content

In interactions with Reuters from the US, where he has lived for the past two years, Dipke described sleepless nights creating social media content and doing media interviews.

“The Indian government has declared me a national security threat,” he said by telephone from Chicago.

“They are trying to defame me. But democratically, within our constitutional rights, we will do what needs to be done.”

He said he has worked to free his X account from a government block, regain control of his CJP Instagram page from unknown hackers, and ensure the safety of family members in both countries after receiving threats of physical harm on WhatsApp.

Police in the western state of Maharashtra, from which he hails, have assured him they will ensure his family’s safety, he said.

Dipke has publicly shared data showing about 95 per cent of the nearly 23m followers of the Instagram account are based in India, followed by countries such as the US, home to large groups of overseas Indians.

More than two-thirds of these followers are Gen-Z, born between 1997 and 2007, said Dipke, a public relations strategist, who graduated from Boston University and was a social media intern with India’s opposition Aam Aadmi Party.

“They know I started this as a joke, as satire,” Dipke said. “But the country’s Gen-Z wants me to actually do something. They don’t want this to be just another meme.”

He has challenged the block of the X account in a Delhi court.

X and India’s home and infotech ministries, as well as Modi’s office, did not respond to requests for comment.

“The rise of web blocking in India shows how dissent and satire are being treated not as democratic expression, but as administrative threats,” said Apar Gupta, a lawyer and director of the Internet Freedom Foundation in New Delhi.

Dipke said his followers want him to go beyond memes and he is discussing ways to turn the campaign into a credible movement, but no decision has been made on becoming a political party.

‘What if all cockroaches come together?’

The furore was set off by Dipke’s X post on May 16 that quickly went viral, asking, “What if all cockroaches come together?”

He said the post was a response to comments by Indias top judge, Chief Justice Surya Kant of the Supreme Court, that compared some unemployed youth to cockroaches.

Kant later said he did not mean to criticise young people but was referring to those with “fake and bogus degrees” whom he likened to “parasites”.

CJP adopted a manifesto and took as its mascot the image of a cockroach on a mobile phone.

With its message amplified by Indian social media influencers and content creators, it amassed a massive following on Instagram within days, far outpacing the 9.3m followers Modis BJP has built over more than a decade.

Unemployment in 2025 stood at 3.1pc among those aged 15 and above, government data shows, but in the bracket from 15 to 29 it was much higher, at 9.9pc, and higher in urban areas, at 13.6pc, than the 8.3pc figure in rural regions.

Dipke says this disenchanted group has flocked to his page.

“I have an MBA degree, and I am overqualified for my job and also underpaid,” said Shurin Dixit, a 23-year-old who works in entry-level operations for a tech company in the northern city of Lucknow. “If the group calls for any protest, I am ready to join them.”

CJPs burgeoning popularity has drawn comparisons to deadly Gen-Z-led uprisings in neighbouring Bangladesh and Nepal that toppled governments, but Dipke cautioned against such parallels.

He said 70pc of CJP’s followers were younger than 28 and apolitical people who do not align with any party. “They are frustrated with the government over unemployment and the quality of life in India,” he said. “But equally, they are frustrated with the opposition parties too, because the opposition has not done anything substantial to hold the government accountable.”

Taking on entrenched parties with their financial might will not be easy, analysts said.

“Physical presence, collecting funds, finding volunteers these are all major resource-based challenges, said Sanjay Kumar of the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies.

Moreover, taking to the streets brings its own risks, as authorities under Modi in the past have clamped down heavily on large demonstrations, with deadly consequences for protesters.

But many well wishers are optimistic.

“I hope they put forth some sort of organisational plan soon, because Gen-Z has a tendency to get over trends as quickly as it gets on them,” said content creator Madri Kakoti, popularly known online for reels questioning the government.

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A rare albino buffalo in Bangladesh — nicknamed “Donald Trump” for its distinctive blond tuft — has been ​spared from Eidul Azha sacrifice after a ‌last-minute government intervention, a Home Ministry official said on Wednesday.

The nearly 700-kg animal had already been sold for ritual ​slaughter when authorities stepped in, citing security ​concerns after a surge of public interest ahead ⁠of Thursday’s festival.

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed ordered the ​buffalo be spared, the buyer refunded, and the animal ​moved to the national zoo in Dhaka.

“At the last moment, the decision was taken to spare the buffalo from sacrifice due ​to security concerns and the unusual level of ​public interest,” a ministry official said.

What began as a routine ‌Eid ⁠purchase quickly turned into a nationwide curiosity after videos went viral. Crowds gathered at the farm, with visitors travelling from far afield to see its blond ​fringe and calm ​demeanour.

Farm owner ⁠Ziauddin Mridha said the name came from his younger brother, who spotted the resemblance.

Mridha ​added that the animal is unusually gentle and ​needs ⁠careful upkeep, including frequent feeding and regular baths.

Albino buffaloes are rare in Bangladesh, where most cattle are dark, ⁠making ​it a standout during the ​peak Eid livestock season — though it was the nickname that likely saved ​its life.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged the United States to provide more ammunition for its Patriot air defence systems to counter Russian ballistic missiles, according to a document reviewed by AFP on Wednesday.

The appeal underscores Ukraine’s almost total reliance on its Western allies to down Russian missile barrages, despite having pioneered a system for intercepting long-range drones that is the envy of some of the world’s most advanced militaries.

The request comes just days after one of the worst combined missile and drone attacks launched against Kyiv since the Russia-Ukraine war more than four years ago, which wrought devastation across the capital.

In a letter dated May 26 and addressed to US President Donald Trump, Zelensky asked Washington to “help us secure this vital tool of protection against Russian terror — Patriot missiles PAC-3 and additional systems — to stop Russian ballistic missiles and other Russian missile attacks.”

Zelensky conceded in the five-page document, which was also addressed to Congress, that: “When it comes to defending against ballistic missiles, we rely almost exclusively on the United States.”

“And it is in Ukrainian hands that Patriot systems have proven something extremely important: The majority of Russian missiles can be stopped,” the Ukrainian leader added.

Zelensky’s appeal comes at a turbulent moment in ties between Ukraine and the United States.

Trump re-entered the White House last year vowing to bring about a speedy end to Russia’s invasion — now grinding through its fifth year.

‘Hard to find missiles’

But US-led efforts to bring Kyiv and Moscow back to the negotiating table have been derailed by the US and Israeli war with Iran, as well as a failure to make progress on key sticking points towards any peace deal, in particular who would control swathes of eastern Ukraine.

Both sides have stepped up their long-range drone and missile attacks since a series of bilateral talks mediated by the US earlier this year appeared to stall.

In separate comments to AFP, a senior official within the Ukrainian presidency conceded that finding ammunition for advanced air defence systems supplied by Kyiv’s Western allies was “complicated.”

“It’s just hard to find missiles right now when there are so many other orders in the Gulf and other places like that,” the source said.

“And the supplies through PURL have slowed down as well,” the source added, referring to a procurement system whereby Ukraine’s European allies can purchase weapons from the United States on behalf of Kyiv.

The war in the Middle East, which saw US allies expend huge quantities of air defence ammunition protecting sites in the Gulf, has exacerbated a shortage Ukraine has faced since the start of the war.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s success in drone warfare has attracted the attention of rich Gulf states that have been targeted with the same types of Iranian-designed drones that Ukraine is now well versed in countering.

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• Beijing’s envoy already laying groundwork to continue Islamabad-Kabul mediation efforts
• Pakistani circles ‘fed up’ by failure of bilateral efforts, pin their hopes on Chinese shepherding the process

CHINA’S diplomatic mediation between Pak­istan and Taliban-ruled Afghanistan is keeping hopes alive for a possible rapprochement.

After hosting their first meeting in Urumqi, Xinjiang, in April — aimed at bringing an end to the Islamabad-Kabul animosity — Beijing now intends to hold a second meeting to keep the process on track, according to people familiar with discussions.

For the better part of the year, conflict between the two neighbours has badly affected trade, transit, cross-border movement of common people, and those living in the border regions.

Both sides seem to be inflexible on core issues, such as opening bilateral government channels, trade and movement of people.

While the signals from Kabul regarding the ‘Urumqi process’ have been somewhat positive, Pakistani circles have remained tight-lipped until recently – in expectation of some positive impact on the security situation in the country, especially the militancy-hit Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

Pakistan officially broke its silence on the issue in the Joint Statement issued on Tuesday, as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif wrapped up his three-day visit to China.

“The Pakistani side spoke positively of the successful holding of the informal talks among China, Afghanistan and Pakistan in Urumqi, Xinjiang, China in April 2026, and welcomed the Chinese side to provide a dialogue platform for communication between Pakistan and Afghanistan,” the statement said.

Laying groundwork

China’s Special Envoy for Afghan Affairs Yue Xiaoyong has already been laying the groundwork for the second meeting, something he discussed during a visit to Kabul earlier this month.

“Both sides give positive assessment of the Urumqi process ready (sic) working together for peace, security and common [development],” Ambassador Yue wrote on X on May 13 following his meeting with Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and other officials.

Muttaqi has, on a number of occasions, spoken about “progress” in the process. According to a statement issued after a meeting with the Chinese special envoy on May 11, he “emphasised that the success of the negotiation process (in Urumqi) depends on concrete measures, strengthening the atmosphere of trust, and keeping the level of tension low, and the Islamic Emirate has taken significant steps in these areas”.

The Afghan functionary did not specify what “significant steps” his government had taken to address Pakistan’s security concerns. However, it is believed that he may have been referring to reports that Afghan authorities had detained members of Pakistan-facing terrorist groups in areas – including Khost, Paktia, Paktika and Kunar – and shifted them away from the border regions.

However, these reports could not be independently verified, and Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid did not respond to a query about the reported action.

Guns have fallen relatively silent over the past couple of months in the restive border region, and some progress has come on the back of deals struck at the local level – facilitated by tribal elders in Bajaur-Mohmand-Kunar and Chitral-Nuristan – that have managed to expel militant elements from their areas.

These local arrangements highlight the key role tribal elders can play in bringing relations back on track.

Mansoor Ahmad Khan, Pakistan’s former ambassador in Kabul, says that both countries continue to look at their relations exclusively through the prism of security and geopolitics, while ignoring the most important dimensions – leveraging civilisational interaction and regional connectivity to gain the desired results.

Stated positions

Action against terrorists who use Afghan soil to attack Pakistan has been one of Islamabad’s main and long-standing demands, and Pakistani officials have been seeking their arrest during bilateral negotiations, as well as in the presence of mediators, according to those who have been part of the talks.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a Pakistani official told Dawn the Afghan Taliban had privately shared some information, but it remains to be seen what they do with those who have reportedly been detained.

When asked what Pakistan wants the Afghan Taliban to do, the official summed it up thus: kill, arrest, disarm, hand-over or take Pakistani militants away from the border regions.

On their part, the Afghan Taliban have suggested that Pakistan negotiate with the armed groups, calling it an “internal matter” for Pakistan.

According to an Afghan Taliban official, the regime in Kabul does not want to open up a new front against Pakistan-facing militant groups, as they cannot afford a fresh conflict on their soil.

Although Pakistan has been seeking of a written commitment that the Afghans will not allow the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) or any other group to use their soil to stage attacks, such an assurance has yet to materialise.

“The Afghan Taliban had agreed in Urumqi to mention the TTP in a possible agreement, but refused to use the word ‘terrorists’ to describe it and other militant groups,” according to sources privy to the China-hosted talks.

From a bilateral to a multilateral track

The Urumqi process has an added significance, as Pakistan has all but given up on pursuing a bilateral track with Kabul, saying that all previous such efforts had failed.

In this backdrop, the Chinese efforts have assumed greater importance – not least because previous efforts by Qatar, Turkey and Saudi Arabia did not yield the desired results, either.

But Beijing’s involvement is being seen as a boon for Pakistan. Mushahid Hussain Sayed, a former senator and chairman of the Pakistan-China Institute, argues that Beijing’s role in the region is a factor for stability and a source of strength for Islamabad.

“Just as Pakistan is engaged in a sincere and sustained effort to promote peace between the US and Iran, so too China wants peace and rapprochement between Pakistan and Afghanistan, as this volatile and unstable region cannot be another battlefield. This meets with the interests of both peoples as well as the region as a whole,” Mr Sayed told Dawn.

In his view, China believes that promoting regional connectivity via the Belt & Road Initiative (BRI) & China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), and having a common approach on counter terrorism, dialogue and diplomacy, is the best way forward to defuse tensions and resolve issues, so that the situation doesn’t spiral out of control.

According to Ambassador Khan, the former envoy to Kabul, Chinese mediation actually provides an opportunity to open bilateral channels of engagement in security/counter-terrorism, trade and people-to-people exchanges with a view to achieve mutual peace, progress and prosperity.

Published in Dawn, May 27th, 2026

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• Washington says strikes targeted Iranian missile sites, mine-laying boats
• Rubio says Iran deal may take ‘a few days’; insists Hormuz will reopen ‘one way or the other’
• Iran says US drone downed, F-35 fired at; tanker damaged by external explosion off Oman
• Trump to hold Camp David cabinet meeting on Iran crisis

TEHRAN: Iran accused the United States of breaching their ceasefire on Tuesday and warned it was ready to retaliate and “will not leave any evil unanswered” after overnight US strikes targeting Iranian missile sites and mine-laying boats threatened a deal to end the war.

The Brent benchmark oil price jumped up by more than four per cent after US Central Comm­and announced the new wave of bombings, and China urged both sides to respect the truce and to resolve their dispute peacefully.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, meanwhile, said negotiating a deal to halt the conflict could “take a few days”.

According to Iranian media, Iran’s negotiators had been pushing for the memorandum to include the release of billions of frozen assets at talks in Qatar.

The maritime safety monitor UKMTO said a blast damaged a tanker on the waterline off Oman — although the crew and vessel were reportedly safe after what was described as an “external explosion”.

Iranian state media reported overnight blasts in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas, near the Strait of Hormuz, and the country’s Revo­lutionary Guards said its forces had downed a US drone entering its airspace and had fired at an F-35 fighter jet.

“The US terrorist army, continuing its illegal and unjustified actions since the ceasefire … has, in the past 48 hours, committed a gross violation of the ceasefire in the Hormozgan region,” the Iranian foreign ministry said.

It added that Tehran “will not leave any evil unanswered and will not hesitate to defend the Iranian nation”, without elaborating.

A senior spokesperson for Iran’s armed forces also warned that any resumption of US and Israeli air strikes on Iran would meet a “heavier” and “stronger” retaliation, Al Jazeera reported.

“If the region enters another round of war, Iran’s response will extend beyond regional borders and will be much heavier and stronger,” Abolfazl Shekarchi said in remarks carried by the Fars news agency.

Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for US Central Command, said: “US forces conducted self-defence strikes in southern Iran today to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces.”

He gave few details of the attacks and said only that the targets included missile launch sites and boats trying to “emplace mines”.

Despite the strikes, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that a deal remained within reach. But he remained firm on the Strait of Hormuz, the key oil and gas shipping route which Iran is seeking to control.

“There were some talks going on in Qatar today, so we’ll see if we can make progress. I think it’s a lot of talking back and forth going on about specific language in the initial document, so it’ll take a few days,” Rubio told reporters, during a visit to India.

He said the strait was “going to be open one way or the other,” adding: “What’s happening there is unlawful, it’s illegal, it’s unsustainable for the world, it’s unacceptable.”

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump is set to hold a rare cabinet meeting at the Camp David presidential retreat as Iran talks near a critical point, a White House official told AFP.

The New York Post reported that Iran was set to dominate the meeting, which was expected to be attended by all cabinet members.

Doha talks

Iranian and US officials have indicated that recent indirect talks made progress on a memorandum of understanding, or initial deal, that would lead to further negotiations over a final agreement.

Iran’s top negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, its foreign minister and its central bank governor were in Doha on Monday for talks with Qatar’s prime minister on a potential deal, an official briefed on the visit said.

Qalibaf returned to Iran after seeking agreement on the release of around $24 billion of frozen Iranian funds as part of the memorandum of understanding, Iranian media reported.

Iran’s Fars news agency cited a source saying that the unfreezing of the funds was the last serious sticking point for the memorandum of understanding to be finalised.

According to Iranian sources, an initial deal would cover ending the war on all fronts, establishing a 30-day framework for restarting movement through the Strait of Hormuz, and possibly providing some financial relief — with more complex issues such as Iran’s nuclear programme to be negotiated in a second phase.

Iran has been letting some ships through the strait, giving preference to vessels linked to countries with which it has alliances or close ties, and striking government-to-government agreements, Reuters has reported.

Trump has said his key aim in the war is to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon with its highly enriched uranium. Tehran denies any such plans.

Published in Dawn, May 27th, 2026

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