El Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Pakistán confirmó este jueves que se están manteniendo contactos para organizar una nueva reunión entre delegaciones de Estados Unidos e Irán con el objetivo de alcanzar un acuerdo que ponga fin a la guerra, pero aclaró que todavía no hay una fecha definida para ese encuentro.

El portavoz Tahir Andrabi señaló que Islamabad sigue ejerciendo su papel de mediador y que los detalles sobre la composición y el tamaño de las delegaciones serán determinados por las partes involucradas.

“Como mediadores, es fundamental que mantengamos la confidencialidad de las conversaciones. Tenemos la información que nos han confiado los negociadores”, afirmó Andrabi en conferencia de prensa.

El funcionario describió el resultado de la primera ronda, celebrada el 12 de abril en Islamabad, como un proceso “sin avances decisivos pero tampoco rupturas”, y confirmó que los temas nucleares continúan siendo el principal obstáculo para lograr un acuerdo.

Andrabi evitó dar detalles sobre los puntos exactos en discusión, pero remarcó que Pakistán mantiene un canal de comunicación activo entre las delegaciones y que la mediación es parte de una estrategia regional más amplia conocida como el “Proceso de Islamabad”.

El anuncio se produjo en paralelo a una intensa agenda diplomática de las autoridades paquistaníes. El primer ministro Shehbaz Sharif se encuentra en una gira que ya lo llevó a Jeddah y Doha, y que prevé una escala en Antalya.

Durante su paso por Qatar, Sharif discutió con el emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani la situación en el Golfo y la importancia de sostener la estabilidad y el diálogo internacional en Medio Oriente.

El jefe de las Fuerzas Armadas de Pakistán, Asim Munir, viajó a Teherán junto con el ministro del Interior, Mohsin Naqvi, para mantener encuentros con altos funcionarios iraníes, incluido el canciller Abbas Araghchi y el presidente del Parlamento Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.

Desde Teherán, el embajador Reza Amiri Moghadam enfatizó que Irán solo aceptará Pakistán como sede de las negociaciones con Estados Unidos.

“Las conversaciones se realizarán en Pakistán y en ningún otro lugar, porque confiamos en Pakistán”, sostuvo Moghadam en un acto en Islamabad.

Analistas paquistaníes señalan que Pakistán está impulsando una doble estrategia, con el primer ministro buscando apoyo en las potencias del Golfo y el jefe militar concentrado en cerrar una nueva ronda de diálogo entre Washington y Teherán, con el foco puesto en extender la frágil tregua y acercar posiciones sobre el programa nuclear iraní.

Por otro lado, funcionarios de Pakistán desmintieron que Munir tuviera prevista una visita a Washington, calificando esas versiones como especulativas. El portavoz Andrabi señaló que no tenía conocimiento de ningún viaje planificado por el jefe militar tras su paso por Irán.

El presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, anticipó este jueves que la próxima reunión entre negociadores estadounidenses e iraníes podría celebrarse durante el fin de semana.

Trump afirmó que “estamos muy cerca de un acuerdo con Irán” y precisó que Teherán ha ofrecido no buscar armas nucleares durante más de dos décadas, aunque la extensión y alcance de ese compromiso sigue en debate.

Trump insistió en que un acuerdo permitiría reducir los precios del petróleo, controlar la inflación y eliminar el riesgo de proliferación nuclear en la región.

“Si esto sucede, veremos una caída en el precio del petróleo, la inflación bajará y, más importante aún, se evitará una catástrofe nuclear”, dijo el mandatario.

El mandatario republicano sostuvo que su administración mantiene un “muy buen canal” con Irán y que el bloqueo y los bombardeos de las últimas semanas han sido determinantes para que Teherán se muestre dispuesto a negociar.

“Creo que tenemos una oportunidad real. Irán quiere hacer un trato”, señaló. El presidente agregó que, de alcanzarse un acuerdo en Islamabad, podría viajar personalmente a la capital pakistaní para firmarlo.

Trump también anunció que planea invitar al primer ministro israelí Benjamin Netanyahu y al presidente libanés Joseph Aoun a la Casa Blanca para avanzar hacia un acuerdo de paz regional, en línea con el cese de hostilidades entre Israel y Hezbollah, que comenzó este jueves.

(Con información de AFP y Reuters)

The Chinese government is increasing pressure on underground Catholic communities to join the state-controlled church while tightening surveillance and restrictions on an estimated 12 million Catholics, according to a Human Rights Watch report.

The group said in its report that the increased pressure is part of a decade-old campaign to ensure religious groups align with Communist Party ideology.

The Associated Press reported that the Chinese government has rejected the claim, saying Human Rights Watch is «consistently biased against China.»

China’s Catholics have long been split between a state-run church and an underground church loyal to the Vatican. In 2018, Pope Francis reached a deal allowing the Chinese government a role in appointing bishops to ease tensions.

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«A decade into Xi Jinping’s Sinicization campaign and nearly eight years since the 2018 Holy See-China agreement, Catholics in China face escalating repression that violates their religious freedoms,» Human Rights Watch researcher Yalkun Uluyol said in the report. «Pope Leo XIV should urgently review the agreement and press Beijing to end the persecution and intimidation of underground churches, clergy, and worshipers.»

The Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson’s office told The Associated Press that Human Rights Watch «fabricates all manner of lies and rumors, and lacks any credibility whatsoever.»

The office added that the government «oversees religious affairs in accordance with the law and protects citizens’ freedom of religious belief and normal religious activities.»

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A man looks on at a Catholic church in Zhuozhou, China’s northern Hebei province on April 22, 2025. In 1951, newly communist China severed ties with the Holy See, forcing Catholics to choose between membership in the state-run Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association or non-sanctioned churches loyal to the pope. But under Pope Francis, China and the Vatican signed a 2018 agreement allowing both Beijing and the Holy See a say in appointing bishops in an attempt to close the schism in China’s 12-million-strong Catholic community. (Photo by ADEK BERRY / AFP) / To go with AFP story Vatican-religion-pope-China,FOCUS by Mary Yang and Isabel Kua (Photo by ADEK BERRY/AFP via Getty Images) (Adek Berry/AFP)

Human Rights Watch said its researchers are not allowed into China and that the report is based on interviews with people outside the country who had firsthand knowledge of Catholic life in China, along with experts on Catholicism and religious freedom.

The 2018 agreement stipulates that Beijing proposes candidates for bishop, which the pope can veto, though the full text has never been made public.

In June 2025, Pope Leo XIV, who had just become the pope, appointed a Chinese bishop under the 2018 agreement and said he would continue to honor the deal «in the short term.»

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Pope Leo XIV waves as he arrives at Saint Joseph’s Cathedral in Bamenda, on the fourth day of an 11-day apostolic journey to Africa, on April 16, 2026. (Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP via Getty Images)

«I’m also in ongoing dialogue with a number of people, Chinese, on both sides of some of the issues that are there,» Leo said. «It’s a very difficult situation. In the long term, I don’t pretend to say this is what I will and will not do, but after two months, I’ve already begun having discussions at several levels on that topic.»

Since 2018, Human Rights Watch says Chinese authorities have pressured underground Catholics to join the state-run church through detentions, disappearances and house arrests, citing accounts from unnamed individuals who have left China.

The report also said China has tightened ideological control, surveillance and restrictions on religious activity and foreign ties, including requiring state approval for clergy travel, while officially recognizing and closely overseeing five religions: Buddhism, Taoism, Catholicism, Protestantism and Islam.

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Xi Jinping said in 2016 that he would «Sinicize» the country’s religions, a policy aimed at aligning religious practices with Communist Party ideology.

Human Rights Watch said authorities have taken sweeping steps to curb religious practice, including tearing down churches and crosses, blocking gatherings at unregistered churches and seizing religious materials not approved by the state.

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The group said the broader «Sinicization» campaign has also led to intensified crackdowns on Tibetan Buddhists and Muslims.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Rev. Franklin Graham defended President Donald Trump in a statement shared Thursday on Truth Social after backlash over an image critics said depicted Trump as Jesus Christ.

The statement was released Thursday by Graham and shared by the president as a signed letter.

«I do not believe President Trump would knowingly depict himself as Jesus Christ — that would certainly be inappropriate,» Graham wrote.

He added that Trump believed the image showed «a doctor helping someone» and said the president «immediately removed the post» after concerns were raised.

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«There were no spiritual references — no halo, there were no crosses, no angels,» Graham wrote. «It was a flag, soldiers, a nurse, fighter planes, eagles. … I think this is a lot to do about nothing.»

Graham also referenced a separate image Trump shared on Truth Social that appeared to show Jesus standing beside him with a hand on his shoulder, suggesting it represented guidance rather than self-depiction, and said critics were attempting to «spin this into something that it isn’t.»

«And the illustration from someone else he reposted on Truth Social today, I must say that I like the fact that this is a picture of Jesus whispering in his ear or at least His hand on his shoulder, guiding him,» Graham said. «We all need that — we all need to be listening to Jesus.»

A representative for Graham told Fox News Digital said the reverend had no further comment and that he’d be appearing on Fox News’ «Hannity» Thursday night.

The controversy began Sunday night when Trump posted an AI-generated image on Truth Social showing himself appearing to heal a man while surrounded by patriotic imagery, prompting criticism from both political opponents and some of his own supporters.

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President Donald Trump stands outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

Trump addressed the backlash the following day.

«I did post it, and I thought it was me as a doctor. … Only the fake news could come up with that one,» Trump said. «It’s supposed to be me as a doctor, making people better.»

The post was later deleted.

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Franklin Graham, president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, speaks during the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum, July 18, 2024, in Milwaukee. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

The episode comes as Trump has also been engaged in a public dispute with Pope Leo XIV, whom he criticized as «weak on crime» and «terrible for foreign policy,» while the pope said he was «unafraid» of the Trump administration.

Despite that defense, criticism earlier in the week came from within Trump’s base.

OutKick contributor Riley Gaines questioned the post, while RedState writer Bonchie called the image «blasphemy» and urged Trump to apologize. Influencer Brilyn Hollyhand added that «faith is not a prop.»

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President Donald Trump posted the letter from Rev. Franklin Graham Thursday on Truth Social. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg)

Criticism also came from media figures and political opponents, including Cenk Uygur, who called it «blasphemous,» and NBC’s Richard Engel, who questioned whether Trump was joking.

Others defended the post, arguing it was symbolic and misinterpreted.

Graham also praised Trump’s record on religious freedom and expressed hope the president could meet with Pope Leo in the future.

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«I would hope that the President and Pope Leo can meet at some point, and that the Pope would have the opportunity to thank President Trump for his efforts to protect religious liberty,» Graham said.

The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Brian Flood and Eric Mack contributed to this report.