US-Iran talks: Pak caught in credibility trap, is Asim Munir's mediation misfiring?

Tensions escalate in the Strait of Hormuz as Iranian forces seize commercial vessels, demanding the United States lift its maritime blockade. While the US President extended a ceasefire citing fractured leadership in Tehran, Pakistan’s mediation efforts face scrutiny. Iranian media accuses Islamabad of a pro-US bias and failing to convey Tehran’s demands, amid reports of Pakistan spending millions on American lobbying firms. Simultaneously, Iranian security forces reportedly neutralised a terrorist team infiltrating from the Pakistani border. In India, the first anniversary of the Pahalgam massacre is marked following the deaths of twenty-six tourists. In retaliation, India executed Operation Sindoor, utilising supersonic cruise missiles to strike nine terror sites in Muridke, Bahawalpur, and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Indian armed forces remain at a heightened state of readiness along the western front, deploying tanks and anti-aircraft guns in the Rann of Kutch.