The waterway, key to the world’s oil supply, is central to the conflict between the United States and Iran, which is at a stalemate after nearly seven months. But new mediation efforts at the UN’s gathering of world leaders in New York this week offered some optimism of progress toward a deal.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met for talks on Tuesday with Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff, and previously set out conditions for ending the war and reopening the vital shipping channel.

“Iran has conveyed to the United States, through Qatar, a concrete seven-day plan. If the necessary conditions are met, the strait can be reopened, and normal maritime passage restored within seven days,” Araghchi said at the UN.

“The choice now rests with the United States. Iran does not accept coercion, threats, or intimidation, and Iran will not surrender its sovereign rights under pressure.”

However, Trump told reporters at the White House that “They (Iran) made a proposal, but I rejected it.”

“They want to make a deal where they open the Strait immediately because they’re losing so badly,” he added. “They want to make a deal and I think that’s fine. I like making a deal too.”

Trump added that Tehran was facing financial pressure, claiming that they made the proposal because “they are dying — the money isn’t coming in.

“They got themselves into a bind; we have established the greatest blockade in military history — it’s a wall of steel. And now they have no money because they wanted to close the strait,” he added.

Earlier today, The Wall Street Journal reported Trump had rejected the proposal, citing US officials familiar with the matter.

The report noted that the 80-year-old president was sceptical Tehran would meet his demands and added he sees a renewed bombing campaign as likely.

Trump also posted an image to his Truth Social platform of a map showing the Strait of Hormuz circled and labelled “Trump Strait.”

Earlier media reports suggested the new plan calls for a cessation of all hostilities in the Middle East for seven days, including in Lebanon.

Frozen assets

It also reportedly calls for the release of frozen Iranian assets estimated to be worth at least $12 billion, as well as the lifting of sanctions on Iranian oil and an end to the US naval blockade of Iran.

On the seventh day of the truce, Iran would reopen Hormuz.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in an interview with broadcaster CBS that the ceasefire “process will begin from the very day they accept it.”

“We had previously reached an agreement based on the MOU that was signed in Pakistan … if the United States agrees to proceed in that way, everything will return to the way it was before,” he added.

Hossein Mohebi, a spokesman for the Revolutionary Guards, told AFP in an exclusive interview on Tuesday that ending hostilities in Yemen was also among Tehran’s demands.

The US and Iran signed a Pakistani-mediated memorandum of understanding in June that aimed to end the war, reopen the strait and launch talks on Iran’s nuclear programme.

But the deal broke down shortly afterwards when Iran fired on commercial ships in Hormuz that it accused of deviating from its approved route through the waterway.

Iran requires ships to obtain authorisation before passage, citing security and sovereignty reasons.

Ships that refuse to comply are regularly targeted, while the United States sporadically bombs Iranian coastal areas in retaliation.

PTI had been gearing up for a nationwide protest and march towards Islamabad to press for the release of its founder, Imran Khan, who is currently incarcerated in Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail. However, the party announced a day ago that the march has been postponed to Oct 4.

Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) had also launched a march towards Islamabad against the petroleum levy, but it postponed the move at the request of PM Shehbaz Sharif, pending a meeting with him.

“If anyone needs to protest, they can do so in Faisalabad, Hyderabad, Karachi, Peshawar, or Multan. This practice needs to end,” Sanaullah said on Geo News programme ‘Jirga’.

He pointed out that the ban on protests in Islamabad did not apply only to the PTI. Gatherings in the capital without prior permission are also banned under the Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Act 2024, which had been rushed through the National Assembly ahead of a PTI gathering that month.

“Peaceful protest is everyone’s constitutional and legal right, but they need to minus Islamabad from that,” Sanaullah stated. “It is everyone’s right, but minus attacks on Islamabad. This must be ensured.”

He highlighted that a message had been sent that no protests would be allowed within Islamabad, as foreign diplomats were present in the federal capital and demonstrations would send a “bad message”.

The PML-N leader accused PTI of aiming to overthrow the government, alleging that their goal is to “erect ladders next to the walls of Adiala jail and break in to meet Imran Khan”, who has been incarcerated there since an Aug 5, 2023 conviction.

“How is this peaceful?” Sanaullah asked.

“Party leaders have been threatening to overthrow the government or free someone from jail and then go back,” he outlined. “Permission for a long march will not be granted if this is their intent.”

The PM’s aide stressed that no streets in Islamabad, besides those in the Red Zone and the M-1 Motorway, were shut for traffic. He clarified that containers had only been placed “at the corners” of the city’s roads for “safety”.

“There are containers on every corner of Islamabad, but as we speak right now, no roads have been closed with them,” he said, explaining that containers have been placed at those points so they can be deployed as and when needed.

“The situation in Islamabad is not as it is being described in the media,” he asserted, noting that some were referring to the capital as a “container city”.

The PM’s aide stressed that PTI also did not submit any application to the Islamabad administration seeking permission for a gathering, nor inform it of its expected time and duration.

Sanaullah added that PTI should approach the Islamabad High Court (IHC) and provide their “required guarantees”, contending that they did not intend to do that.

Asked if the authorities’ response to any march would be similar to the Nov 26, 2024 crackdown on PTI’s ’Final Call’ protest, Sanaullah said he did not want to “say any such thing” as there were fellow Pakistanis, friends and colleagues in the party.

However, he warned that PTI “should not hold such a march at any cost that would attempt to push back law enforcement agencies and move towards D-Chowk”.

“Under no circumstance will they be granted access,” Sanaullah warned, cautioning PTI supporters against using force, noting that such an action, in the wake of IHC’s recent ruling, would provide authorities with “legal backing” to respond.

Hearing a plea against the planned march, the IHC on September 14 ruled that no political party or its leadership has the “lawful right to occupy public roads, highways, interchanges, toll plazas and buildings in Islamabad”.

Meanwhile, in the Rawalpindi Division and the federal capital territory, security measures and preparations to deal with any emergency situation remain in place despite the postponement of the march.

Punjab had already imposed a ban on gatherings across the province until Oct 5 and prohibited inciting people to “unlawful assembly”. A similar ban under Section 144 has been enforced in Islamabad for two months.

The federal government has also approved the deployment of Rangers in Islamabad and several districts of Punjab from Sept 20 to Oct 5.

Separately, two rescue workers were killed and another was injured when a Rescue 1122 ambulance came under fire while transporting bodies of victims from the blast.

DI Khan Regional Police Officer (RPO) Ghulam Mubashir Maken, citing an initial assessment, confirmed the casualties from the blast. He clarified that no law enforcement or security personnel were among the deceased, which included a Customs official and civilians.

The deceased comprised nine men, two women and a minor.

According to police and Rescue 1122 officials, an unidentified attacker rammed the explosives-laden tractor trolley into the checkpost. DI Khan District Police Officer (DPO) Ziauddin Ahmed confirmed that it was a suicide blast.

The blast destroyed a large portion of the checkpost and completely demolished a house adjacent to the post. The intensity of the explosion was such that it was heard over a considerable distance, according to local officials and residents. Heavy firing was also heard following the blast.

The Aman Mela checkpost, located near Mughal Kot and Darazinda on the DI Khan-Quetta Road, is used by police for security and checking along the route. It is situated close to the border between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

According to RPO Maken, 25 of the injured were taken to the district headquarters (DHQ) hospital. Meanwhile, District Excise Officer Faheem Wazir said Excise personnel present at the checkpost remained safe.

A bomb disposal team was also sent to the site to determine the nature of the explosion and examine the scene, police said.

DPO Ahmed and the superintendent of police for the Saddar area had reached the site soon after the explosion and supervised the rescue operation. A Rescue 1122 spokesperson noted that their teams were on the site for relief operations, but mobile phone services were unavailable in the area.

Later in the day, a Rescue 1122 spokesperson said the search, recovery and relief operation at the site had been completed.

More than 25 personnel, six ambulances and a fire vehicle took part in the relief operations, according to the rescue service. On the directions of District Emergency Officer (DEO) Mohammad Arif Khan, four additional ambulances with staff were dispatched from DI Khan to assist in evacuating the injured.

2 killed as ambulance comes under fire

Rescue 1122 said two of its workers were killed while another was seriously injured when an ambulance transporting some bodies recovered from the blast site was targeted by unidentified assailants near Aman Mela.

The deceased rescue workers were identified as Sharifullah and Imtiaz, while Anees sustained injuries in the firing, according to a Rescue 1122 spokesperson.

The injured worker was provided immediate medical treatment and taken to a hospital. Despite the firing incident, rescue teams had continued the operation to transport the bodies and assist those affected by the blast.

State broadcaster Radio Pakistan attributed the attack to Fitna al Khawarij, a term the state uses to refer to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

The report added that an operation by the security forces against the terrorists was underway.

‘Political priorities must reflect the pain of our people’

Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, in a video statement, condemned the attack and highlighted the funds allocated for police in KP’s budget. He also once again called for a “policy shift” on the federal government’s part regarding counterterrorism.

Meanwhile, KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi sought a report from senior officials on the incident and directed that every possible medical facility be provided to those injured.

“The attack is a nefarious conspiracy by Fitna al-Hindustan Khawarij,” the governor said.

The state refers to designated Balochistan-based groups as Fitna al Hindustan to highlight India’s role in terrorism and destabilisation across Pakistan.

In the wake of the blast, Kundi also requested the PTI to call off its march to Islamabad planned for Oct 4.

Tagging CM Afridi’s X account, he wrote: “For the sake of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and our people, let us put political differences aside and stand together as one.

“Our people are paying the price in blood. They deserve solidarity, security and leadership focused on protecting their lives.”

In an earlier post on X, Kundi said, “At a time when KP is mourning, political priorities must reflect the pain of our people.”

He asserted that the provincial government “must take responsibility and put the security and lives of our people at the centre of its priorities”.

“They do not need test matches or long marches. They need peace.”

Condemnations

President Asif Ali Zardari strongly condemned the blast in a statement issued by the Presidency and expressed grief over the lives lost.

The president ordered that the best medical facilities be provided to the injured, and that relief operations be made “more effective”.

“Making innocent citizens and law enforcement personnel a target of terrorism is highly condemnable,” he was quoted as saying.

“Operations against terrorists belonging to Fitna al Hindustan and Fitna al Khawarij, who perpetrate heinous acts with foreign support, must be made more effective.”

Denouncing the attack, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed sorrow over the loss of precious human lives.

He said the sacrifices of the nation’s guardians in the war against terrorism “will never be allowed to go in vain”. “The government is determined to completely eradicate terrorism from the country,” he was quoted as saying.

In a statement issued by his ministry, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also strongly condemned the “suicide blast at the anti-smuggling Aman Mela police checkpost” and expressed his condolences to the bereaved families.

“The cowardly acts of kharjis cannot weaken the nation’s firm resolve against terrorism,” he was quoted as saying, using a term the state employs to designate terrorists.

“Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is on the front lines of the fight against terrorism.”

Naqvi noted that people from all walks of life have made sacrifices against terrorism, adding that the state deeply values the sacrifices of martyrs.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said that the “terrorist attack” in DI Khan, following the recent bloodshed in Kohat, was “another painful reminder of the terrorism threat Pakistan continues to confront”.

“My deepest condolences to the families of our martyrs and prayers for the injured. The nation stands firmly with our courageous police, law-enforcement agencies and security forces,” he said.

“Pakistan has defeated terrorism before, and we will defeat it again. Terrorists, their facilitators, financiers and sponsors will be held accountable and no territory beyond our borders will be allowed to serve as a sanctuary for terrorism against Pakistan,” he said.

“We will neither be intimidated nor divided. Pakistan will prevail,” Bilawal said.

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb also condemned the blast at the “Customs joint check post”.

Rise in terrorism

KP has witnessed an increase in terrorist activity in recent months, with law enforcement agencies and security forces being targeted, prompting authorities to intensify counterterrorism operations.

Earlier this month, police said they foiled an attack by TTP terrorists on a checkpost in DI Khan’s Daraban area. No casualties were reported among the police personnel.

On Sept 18, a major attack in the old Police Lines in KP’s Kohat claimed 23 lives and injured about 100 others. Eight terrorists were killed during an overnight clearance operation.

In response to that and other terrorist incidents, Pakistan days later conducted “calibrated” airstrikes in the border region with Afghanistan against terrorist hideouts, with the government saying over 28 terrorists were eliminated.

Mainland KP, excluding the merged districts, recorded 54 terrorist attacks in August compared with 36 in July, representing an increase of 50 per cent, according to monthly data compiled by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS).