INTERNACIONAL
Iran conflict tests Pakistan amid own border clashes as Islamabad touted as venue for US-Tehran talks
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Pakistan is walking a tightrope as the Iran war intensifies, with that balance growing more precarious with each passing day.
Islamabad has so far pursued cautious diplomacy, condemning the strikes on Iran, while simultaneously urging de-escalation. But analysts warn it cannot remain insulated from competing pressures.
«Pakistan is putting itself forward as a mediator between the U.S. and Iran, but unconvincingly,» Edmund Fitton-Brown, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies told Fox News Digital. «Its own record of staying out of military entanglements is unimpressive.»
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At the forefront of the tensions is a new defense agreement with Saudi Arabia, which states that aggression against one will be treated as a threat to both. Widely seen as one of Pakistan’s most consequential defense agreements, it commits the country to Riyadh, while risking confrontation with Iran.
Shia Muslims holding portraits of Iran’s slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei take part in an anti US-Israel protest in Islamabad on March 6, 2026. (Aamir Qureshi/ AFP via Getty Images)
Pakistan, the only nuclear-armed Muslim state, already has troops stationed in Saudi Arabia for training and defense support and has said there is «no question» of coming to the kingdom’s aid.
«Remember, Pakistan is geographically part of both South Asia and Central Asia, as well as the wider Gulf/MENA region too. Pakistan has always pursued peace, dialogue and order because we know what war does to our region,» Mosharraf Zaidi, spokesperson for foreign media to the Pakistani prime minister, told Fox News Digital.
Within days of the war’s outbreak, the country’s army chief, General Asim Munir, made an «emergency» visit to Saudi Arabia, where top officials discussed joint responses to Iranian strikes. It was the first true test of the pact.
Relations are strong between the two nations, and Riyadh remains a key economic lifeline for Islamabad. Saudi Arabia has already been making arrangements to support energy supplies, as war-driven fuel disruptions hit import-dependent Pakistan.
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Yet Pakistan’s relationship with Iran is equally critical.
The two share a 565-mile border along with deep trade ties and significant religious connections.
Pakistan is home to the world’s second-largest Shiite community after Iran. Pro-Iran regime protests in the wake of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s assassination turned deadly, forcing military intervention and curfews.
Maintaining ties with Tehran is crucial for containing domestic tensions and staving off an insurgency from the minority Baloch community there.
Iran is also an important economic partner to Pakistan, which has been facing a severe economic crisis. The two conduct significant trade, with a new goal of $10 billion by 2028.
Pakistan’s foreign minister has held «constant conversations» with his Iranian counterpart throughout the conflict. And last week, a Pakistani oil tanker transited the essentially blockaded Strait of Hormuz. Analysts noted it was the first non-Iranian cargo ship to do so since tensions escalated, suggesting that safe passage may have been negotiated. Officials add that more Pakistan-bound oil tankers are likely to cross the strait in the coming days.
A screenshot of a marine traffic terminal showing vessels in the Strait of Hormuz on March 4, 2026. (Kpler/Marine Traffic)
Most of Pakistan’s crude and LNG imports pass through the Strait of Hormuz. But as the war grinds on, analysts warn Pakistan’s room for neutrality is shrinking.
Pakistan recently went against Iran, backing a Gulf-led resolution at the United Nations condemning regional aggression. Russia and China abstained.
Meanwhile, Iran’s foreign minister just called for regional coordination in separate calls with Pakistan, Turkey and Egypt.
Shia Muslims holding portraits of Iran’s slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei take part in an anti US-Israel protest in Islamabad on March 6, 2026. (Aamir Qureshi/ AFP via Getty Images)
At the same time, Islamabad must also navigate relations with Washington, yet another key partner.
Under President Donald Trump’s second term, Pakistan has sought closer relations with the U.S., even floating his name for the Nobel Peace Prize.
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Questions are also emerging in Washington. During a White House briefing, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the administration was coordinating with the Pentagon to assess whether Pakistan is supporting Iran, while describing India as a «good actor.»
India’s positioning has added further pressure, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Israel.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets with Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu in New Delhi, India on Feb. 25, 2026. (Photo by Press Information Bureau (PIB)/Anadolu via Getty Images)
«There is no contradiction in being absolutely committed to peace, dialogue and order. The strong relationships Pakistan has with the United States, with Saudi Arabia, with Iran and with China are a testament to Pakistan’s commitment,» the Pakistani prime minister’s spokesperson, Zaidi said.
So far, Pakistan has effectively positioned itself at the forefront of mediation efforts to end the ongoing conflict, leveraging its ties with all three powerhouses.
Reports indicate that high-level talks between the U.S. and Iran are set for Islamabad as early as this weekend.
«Pakistan wants to matter to the U.S. and to be a better partner than India. Because the Afghan Taliban have alienated Islamabad since 2021, there are few remaining sore points between the U.S. and Pakistan, with the latter able to present as an ally against terrorism,» Fitton-Brown said. «And most regional parties want to see the crisis end sooner rather than later. But nobody wants to see the Islamic Republic strengthened in Iran.»
The spiraling war comes at a critical time for Pakistan’s already stretched military. Tensions with India remain elevated, while border clashes, airstrikes, drone attacks and rising civilian casualties have become the norm with once friendly neighbor Afghanistan.
The nations nosedived into an «all-out war,» just days before the Iran conflict broke out, and the violence shows no signs of easing after fresh Pakistani strikes recently hit the Afghan capital city of Kabul.
Afghan Taliban fighters patrol near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in Spin Boldak, Kandahar Province, following exchanges of fire between Pakistani and Afghan forces. (REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo)
«This geography and the region’s history is why Pakistan steadfastly rejects India’s efforts at regional hegemony, it is why Pakistan is pursuing a termination of the Afghan Taliban regime’s support for terrorist groups,» Zaidi said. «We seek a complete cessation of terrorism emanating from territory currently controlled by the Afghan Taliban.»
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With Pakistan already managing tensions on both its eastern border with India and its western frontier with Afghanistan, a destabilized Iran could push that strain further.
«If Islamabad is destabilized, it will be extremely bad news regionally and globally,» Edmund Fitton-Brown told Fox. «The idea of a nuclear power under jihadi rule doesn’t bear thinking about.»
middle east, pakistan, war with iran, afghanistan
INTERNACIONAL
Iran’s internet blackout hiding strike damage and suppressing dissent, Israeli officials say
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Israeli officials are warning that Iran’s ongoing internet blackout is shaping the battlefield in ways that extend far beyond cyberspace, limiting visibility into the impact of U.S. and Israeli strikes while tightening the regime’s grip on its own population.
Multiple Israeli sources told Fox News that the blackout is not only restricting information from leaving Iran but also preventing citizens from organizing internally, at a time when pressure on the regime is mounting. Attempts by civilians to access the internet through satellite services such as Starlink have been disrupted through jamming, according to Israeli officials, while hundreds of individuals suspected of using such terminals have been detained.
«This is a blackout on truth,» a senior Israeli intelligence official told Fox News. «The regime is hiding reality from its own people. They don’t want the Iranian people to see how badly they’re getting hit.»
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Strikes on the Iranian leadership, the IRGC, and Iranian naval vessels and oil infrastructure have roiled the markets. ( Sasan / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)
The information vacuum inside Iran is being filled by state-controlled narratives, according to the official.
«Iranians only know what they see on TV channels controlled by the Islamic regime, which falsely shows the U.S. and Israel being destroyed,» the Israeli official said.
But the impact goes beyond perception. The blackout is also affecting behavior on the ground.
«And it’s not just about what people see, it’s about what they can do,» the official said. «Cutting the internet stops people from communicating, from sharing what’s really happening, and from organizing.»
The restrictions come as the Iranian regime faces both external military pressure and lingering internal unrest following a brutal crackdown earlier in 2026. In January, security forces opened fire on nationwide protests, with reports suggesting the toll could be more than 30,000 killed in a matter of days.
Against that backdrop, Israeli officials say the blackout reflects the regime’s fear of renewed unrest.
«The Iranian people are one of the things the regime fears most,» the official said. «That’s why this blackout was such a priority.»
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Iran internet blackout continues with heavy filtering despite partial restoration, costing over $780 million according to analyst Simon Migliano. (Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters)
The result, according to Israeli officials, is a war that is unfolding largely out of public view.
«This is one of the least visible wars in modern history because very little footage is coming out,» the official said. «When this blackout is lifted, the full extent of the damage to the regime will become clear. Right now, we’re only seeing a small glimpse of just how badly they’re being decimated.»
Israeli sources also linked the blackout directly to high-value military targets.
The U.S. and Israel, the official claims, «have taken out 25 senior commanders from the MOIS,» referring to Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence.
«The majority (were) eliminated in the opening strike when they gathered for a meeting,» the official said, adding that those targeted were involved in managing the blackout.
The official identified Esmail Khatib as among those killed, describing him as «the minister of Intelligence who was the guy who signed off on the blackout.»
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Iranians gather while blocking a street during a protest in Tehran, Iran Jan. 9, 2026. (MAHSA / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)
U.S. analysts say the information domain is becoming a central front in the conflict.
John Spencer, executive director of the Urban Warfare Institute, wrote on X that «Iran has repeatedly shut down internet access to control its population. That capability can be reversed.»
Spencer argued that external actors could shift the balance by targeting regime communications while enabling civilian connectivity.
«Disrupt regime command networks while enabling connectivity for the population through external systems. Information becomes a weapon,» he wrote. «Control of narrative, coordination, and awareness shifts away from the regime.»
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Iranian security forces allegedly killed detainees and burned bodies during protests, with clashes continuing in Kermanshah, Rasht and Mashhad despite government claims. (NCRI)
He also pointed to underlying instability inside Iran, noting that the country’s population is «over 85 million, young, urban, and repeatedly discontent,» with protest activity suggesting that a significant portion opposes the regime.
«Until now, civilians have largely been told to shelter,» Spencer wrote. «That could change.»
Fox News Digital reached out to the Iranian mission to the United Nations, which responded, «no comment.»
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.
war with iran, world protests, iran
INTERNACIONAL
Legal powerhouse accused of bailing on panel exposing their ‘monopoly’ over law school accreditation
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FIRST ON FOX: The American Bar Association’s expected panelist from its council on law school accreditation ended up no-showing at a conservative Federalist Society event about the ABA’s «monopoly» on law school accreditation.
The Trump administration has accused the ABA of acting as a politicized gatekeeper, executive agencies have restricted their members from attending ABA events, and its diversity-related law school accreditation standards have been regarded as unlawful. Trump’s Attorney General Pam Bondi later escalated that effort by telling the ABA it would no longer receive special access to the judicial vetting process, which followed concerns its rating process for federal judicial nominees was biased as well. .
At the Thursday event, which was held across the street from where the ABA was holding its spring antitrust conference, America First Legal President Gene Hamilton suggested the ABA no-showed because the group’s position on the matter is «indefensible.»
«I don’t know all the backstory. I mean, I’m just a moderator, but I think that there’s a certain amount – if I was a betting man – my suspicion is that the ABA’s status quo and their position and their involvement in the process is indefensible from the perspective of somebody who tries to present themselves as being an unbiased, uninterested party that is just simply involved in accrediting law schools,» said Hamilton.
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America First Legal President Gene Hamilton speaks at a Federalist Society event in Washington, D.C. on the American Bar Association’s «monopoly» over law school accreditation. (Fox News Digital)
«When they’re confronted with hard facts and evidence and data and actual experiences from real people, multiple people, not just one person, but multiple people, it doesn’t make for a great environment if you’re trying to maintain an image that does not match reality.»
The panelists at Thursday’s event pointed to what they described as concrete, firsthand clashes with the ABA and the legal institutions tied to it. First Assistant Attorney General of Texas, Brent Webster, for example, argued that the politicization of the legal establishment became real for him when the State Bar of Texas sought to strip him and Attorney General Ken Paxton of their law licenses over litigation Texas had filed after the 2020 election.
Webster said that fight, which ended with the Texas Supreme Court vindicating him, helped expose to Texas officials how deeply bar institutions had been «radicalized» and contributed to the state’s decision to loosen the ABA’s hold over law-school approval.
First Assistant Attorney General of Texas, Brent Webster, (right) speaks alongside America First Legal President Gene Hamilton (left) at Federalist Society event in Washington, D.C. on the American Bar Association’s «monopoly» over law school accreditation. (Fox News Digital)
Meanwhile, David Dewhirst, Solicitor General for the State of Florida, made a parallel argument through the experience of St. Thomas University’s law school in Miami, which he said was left in prolonged uncertainty by the ABA over whether its Catholic identity could coexist with the ABA’s nondiscrimination standards, especially on sexual orientation and gender identity.
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Together, those stories were presented as real-world examples of the broader complaint underscored at the Thursday event – that the ABA is no longer acting as a neutral professional body, but as an ideological gatekeeper with the power to shape who gets trained, licensed and recognized in the legal profession.
Florida Solicitor General David Dewhirst speaks at Federalist Society event in Washington, D.C. on the American Bar Association’s «monopoly» over law school accreditation. (Fox News Digital)
A representative from the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar said former Colorado Supreme Court Justice and Chair-elect of the ABA’s Section of Legal Education and Bar Admissions, Melissa Hart, was not even aware she had been listed as a panelist. They added that the invitation, sent to them on March 13, according to the Federalist Society, was «last-minute» and no one was available to attend, despite the Federalist society telling Fox News that their open invite to the ABA had been confirmed about a week after it was sent.
«From the perspective of the ABA, when they’re under significant pressure right now from both the federal administration, the states and a lot of people waking up to their shenanigans – it makes it a tough time to be in an environment that is a little bit more direct and blunt and to the point,» Hamilton added about the ABA’s absence at the event.
American Bar Association (ABA) (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
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At the event, Hamilton unveiled a new report from America First Legal, which showed ABA’s Standing Committee on Amicus Curiae Briefs, over the last decade, has produced 80% of left-leaning liberal arguments, 20% neutral and zero that are conservatively aligned. In all six cases, the ABA has filed amicus briefs involving Trump, the ABA went against the president or his allies.
«The ABA requires that amicus briefs be authorized by its board of governors and must be consistent with existing ABA policy or involve matters of ‘special significance to lawyers or the legal profession,’» a press release from AFL argued. «Briefs on birthright citizenship, transgender healthcare for minors and the Texas heartbeat law fall well outside that mandate,» AFL said in a press release announcing the new research.
law, federal courts, justice department, florida, texas, politics, donald trump
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