Tensions in the Middle East have escalated further as Tehran issued a stark ultimatum to the United States, threatening retaliatory strikes against US-funded universities across the region. According to a statement from the elite Revolutionary Guards broadcasted by the Fars news agency, Washington has until Monday to officially "condemn" recent bombings on Iranian educational institutions, or face direct consequences.
Iranian officials allege that the US military targeted the Isfahan University of Technology and the Iran University of Science and Technology in Tehran. Casualty figures from these purported strikes remain undisclosed.
As the multi-front war enters its second month, Pakistan has stepped up as a primary mediator. Sharing a 900-kilometer border with Iran, Islamabad is hosting a two-day diplomatic summit starting Sunday, gathering the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Turkey to negotiate a de-escalation framework.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif recently held talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, expressing strong condemnation of ongoing Israeli strikes on Iran while outlining efforts to foster dialogue among the US, Gulf nations, and the broader Islamic world.
In a notable confidence-building measure, Tehran has slightly eased its de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which has been in place since US and Israeli operations began on February 28 and has severely inflated global energy prices. Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar announced that Iran agreed to allow 20 additional Pakistani-flagged vessels to transit the critical maritime chokepoint at a rate of two ships per day.
In Washington, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio offered a timeline for the conflict, suggesting military operations in Iran could be concluded within "a few weeks, not months." While Rubio emphasized that US objectives could likely be met without deploying ground forces, he notably refused to categorically rule out the option.
Supporting this stance, the Washington Post reported, citing US officials, that the Pentagon has prepared contingency plans for limited ground operations in Iran. These plans reportedly involve combined deployments of regular infantry and special forces, rather than a full-scale invasion.
The conflict continues to heavily impact neighboring Gulf states. In the United Arab Emirates, an Iranian missile and drone barrage caused severe damage to a metal plant in the Abu Dhabi Industrial Zone, leaving an unspecified number of employees injured. Meanwhile, Qatar reported successfully intercepting multiple drones launched from Iran on Saturday.
Maritime threats also persist on the western front. The EU naval mission "Aspides" issued fresh warnings regarding potential attacks by Yemen's pro-Iranian Houthi militia on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and the eastern Gulf of Aden. The ongoing Houthi threat was underscored on Saturday when the Israeli military confirmed the successful interception of a drone and a cruise missile fired by the militant group.
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