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What it would take to end the Iran war

  On March 23, President Donald Trump announced that the United States and Iran had reached “major points of agreement”. Shortly after, he claimed that Tehran had delivered a significant concession related to oil, gas, and the Strait of Hormuz . These statements, along with the decision to postpone strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure, generated considerable diplomatic optimism. Global markets responded positively to what was perceived as a sign of de-escalation. This optimism, however, conflates two analytically distinct phenomena: the emergence of a mutually hurting stalemate , which creates the conditions under which parties become willing to negotiate, and the existence of a viable bargaining architecture, which determines whether durable agreements can be reached. In the current conflict, the former is beginning to crystallise while the latter remains structurally absent. The stalemate condition American scholar William Zartman ’s concept of the mutually hurting stalemat...
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Trump’s new gimmick

  US PRESIDENT Donald Trump ’s   climb-down   from his 48-hour   ultimatum   to Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz should come as no surprise. His persistent inconsistency makes such reversals unsurprising. His claims of “very strong talks” with Iran have been firmly denied by Tehran. He extended the deadline by another five days, hoping Iran would yield. However, there is no indication that the Islamic Republic — having endured more than   three weeks   of devastating strikes by the US in coordination with Israel — is prepared to surrender. Trump’s latest claim that the US and Iran are negotiating a “total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East” may have briefly eased  international oil and gas prices . Still, it lacks plausibility given that hostilities have not ceased. Mere exchanges of messages between Tehran and Washington through a third country cannot be construed as serious negotiations. Despite the decapitation of its ...
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What are Trump’s 15 conditions for Iran?

  Tel aviv  -  US President Donald Trump’s administration has conveyed 15 conditions to Iran as its terms for ending the current war, Israel’s Channel 12 reports, setting out what it says are the key points. The conditions appear to cover all of the United States’ and Israel’s war goals, the report indicates. Nonetheless, Channel 12 says, Jerusalem is concerned that Trump and his team want to push quickly for “a framework agreement, an agreement in principle” with Iran, rather than insisting on these demands as a condition for halting the war. According to three sources familiar with the details, the president’s top aides, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, have shaped a process involving “the declaration of a monthlong ceasefire period, during which the sides would negotiate a 15-point agreement,” much like previous Trump administration-brokered agreements with Hamas in Gaza and with Lebanon. Trump said yesterday that he had reached many points of agreement on a potential ...
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Arab Israelis experiencing higher distress levels in war than Jews — study

  Israeli Arabs are experiencing more distress than their Jewish peers from the ongoing war with Iran, according to a new study published Wednesday. According to a survey done between the seventh and ninth days of the war, which on Wednesday marked its 20th day, they reported a decreased sense of economic stability and social resources such as connections with friends, a weakening of spiritual resources such as faith and hope, and a drop in their sense of connection to the community and emotional resilience. They were among 270 participants in a survey conducted by the Panels Research Institute for a snap study of community and gender experiences of the war undertaken by Prof. Liat Kulik, Dean of Netanya Academic College’s School of Behavioral Sciences and Professor​ Emerita at Bar-Ilan University. The starting point was that war threatens human resources, and that stress was created when resources such as mental resilience or economic stability were damaged or lost. In contrast to...
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Fighting oil price hikes

  LAST Friday was a bombshell by any definition and a Rs55 per litre price hike is a killer for the common citizenry. Sharp adjustments like this always trigger equally sharp politics. But this is the first time I have seen a government move with such speed, and pre-emptive intention, to adjust oil prices at the pump even before the instability has entered our oil supply chain. Maybe it was possible to do this better, but the fact that a sharp upward adjustment was coming was unavoidable. In the wake of the price hike, a number of observations circulated. Let me address one of them in particular. People shared a graphic showing fuel price hikes in various countries around the world which showed Pakistan at the top. Why did Pakistan pass such a massive price increase compared to all other countries, including India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka? Let’s start with the regional countries. India has elections coming up in four important states in the month of May and a history of government...
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Pakistan’s dilemma

  PAKISTAN’S diplomatic balancing act may not prevent it from being drawn into the escalating conflict, which has already sucked in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations. Iran, under attack by America and Israel, has targeted not only US military bases in the Gulf but also oil installations in the region. Tehran asserts that these bases are legitimate targets because they are used to launch attacks against it. Although these countries have not yet directly responded to the Iranian strikes, they have effectively become a part of America’s war that does not seem to be ending soon. The widening conflict is not only threatening their security but also resulting in massive financial losses for them. These countries are caught in a war not of their choosing. According to Western media reports, countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council, which includes Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain, attempted to prevent the US from launching this war due to awareness of its implicati...
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Turning Grief Into Good: How Humaira Asghar’s Legacy Inspires Mental Health Support and Philanthropy

 The unexpected passing of beloved influencer and content creator Humaira Asghar sent ripples of grief across global digital communities. Her vibrant presence, creativity, and connection with audiences made her more than just a social media figure, she became a symbol of modern youth, resilience, and expression. But in the wake of her tragic loss, we are left with an important question: 1- How can we transform sorrow into meaningful action that heals individuals and supports communities?  This is where mental health advocacy and philanthropy intersect —not only as tools for coping but also as vehicles for creating collective emotional well-being in today’s hyperconnected world. A Collective Grief in the Digital Age:  As society becomes increasingly virtual, our emotional lives are exposed to shared trauma, public mourning, and online grief. The death of a public figure like Humaira Asghar reminds us that behind every profile is a real human being. Whether you liv...
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