Iran has sought to convey its stance and negotiating conditions regarding the Strait of Hormuz to the United States through Pakistan, said a source close to the Iranian negotiating team, cited by Tasnim News Agency on Tuesday.
At a meeting with Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir on Monday, Iran reportedly outlined its conditions for negotiations on the strategic waterway, emphasizing that the United States must adhere to a previously agreed memorandum of understanding (MoU) and fulfill its provisions concerning the management of the Strait of Hormuz.
Pakistan is reportedly tasked with delivering these conditions to the United States.
Sources in Pakistan revealed that U.S. President Donald Trump had a phone conversation with General Munir prior to his visit to Iran, urging Pakistan to encourage Iran to return to negotiations.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in his meeting with Munir on Monday that the United States must change its tone and approach toward Iran, and its reliance on coercion and bullying will only complicate executive processes, said a statement published on the website of the presidential office.
On Tuesday, Pakistan announced the conclusion of one-day visit to Iran by General Munir and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi.
Naqvi noted that significant progress was made in talks, which focused on preventing further escalation of the U.S.-Iran conflict, reopening the Strait of Hormuz and reaching an immediate end to the conflict, and regional peace and a negotiated settlement of disputes.
On June 18, the United States and Iran signed the MoU, under which the two were scheduled to hold negotiations within a period of 60 days, which ended on Aug. 17, to reach a final agreement. However, the talks' fate remains unclear following renewed escalation between the two countries.
Iran conveys negotiating conditions on Strait of Hormuz to US via Pakistan
Residents in Yemen's capital Sanaa held a mass funeral on Wednesday for 43 victims -- mostly women and children -- who were killed after airstrikes hit a residential neighborhood on Saturday, with huge crowds of mourners joining the funeral procession and bemoaning the attacks on innocent civilians.
The strikes hit homes in the Ash Sharyah village of the Bani Hashish district, east of Sanaa, and marked the latest deadly escalation of hostilities in war-torn Yemen which began in mid-July.
The Houthi group that controls Sanaa accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out the attacks as the Saudis continue to back the Yemeni government.
Wednesday's funeral procession began in central Sanaa before moving toward the Bani Hashish district. Alongside the bereaved families, many local residents joined the march, accompanying the coffins to show their support and solidarity in a ceremony that brought the community together in shared grief.
Tawfiq Ibrahim, a relative of the victims, was among those who strongly condemned the attacks.
"We have come here today, on this tragic day, to mourn our sons, women and children who were killed in what we describe as brutal Saudi aggression. The airstrikes targeted civilians, including women and children," he said.
"We join the families of the victims in mourning those killed in the Saudi aggression against the people of Yemen and the innocent residents of Bani Hashish," said Mohammed Khamis, another mourner. Many locals are still trying to process the tragedy, with a resident named Radwan questioning why these innocent people had been targeted in their homes.
"We are here to mourn civilians from Ash Sharyah village in Bani Hashish district, most of whom were killed in Saudi airstrikes. Today, we offer our condolences to their families and relatives over this great tragedy. They were civilians who were killed when their homes were struck in broad daylight. They had done nothing wrong," he said.
Following a four-year truce, Yemen has seen intensified ground fighting and airstrikes in recent months, alongside Houthi missile and drone attacks on Saudi soil.
According to figures released by the Houthi-run Health Ministry on Tuesday, a total of 1,112 people have now been killed or injured in attacks on Yemen since July.
Mourners gather as mass funeral procession held in Yemen's Sanaa following airstrikes
