Live updates: Follow the latest news on US-Iran war
Pakistan is set to hold talks with Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey on Sunday, to discuss ways to the US-Israeli war on Iran that has affected the Gulf, as the conflict threatens to escalate after Yemen’s Houthi rebels launched a missile at Israel.
Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar invited fellow foreign ministers of the three countries and said that they would be in the Pakistani capital Islamabad for two days.
"During the visit, the foreign ministers will hold in-depth discussions on a range of issues, including efforts to de-escalate tensions in the region," his ministry said.
The ministers will also meet Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to ensure a unified regional response to the rising tension.
Pakistan has emerged as a key intermediary between the US and Iran in efforts to end the war. US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff confirmed this week that the White House had sent a 15-point framework for a peace deal to Tehran via Pakistan.
Mr Sharif said on Saturday that he spoke for an hour on the phone with Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian and informed him of the continuing diplomatic outreach, including engaging with the US and Gulf countries.
The war that began on February 28 with US and Israel attacks on Iran has rattled the global economy. Energy prices have soared as shipments from Gulf producers are cut off by an Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
The entry of Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi militia into the war with a missile attack on Israel on Saturday raised the prospect of a further disruption to global shipping.
During two years of Israel's war on Gaza, which ended with a ceasefire in October last year, the Houthis launched dozens of missiles and drones at Israel and attacked shipping in the Red Sea.
The attack on Saturday triggered air-raid sirens in Beersheba and surrounding towns in southern Israel. No injuries were reported.
Iran meanwhile continued its drone and missile attacks on its Arab Gulf neighbours, with six people injured by falling debris in the UAE's Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi (Kezad) after an Iranian ballistic missile was intercepted on Saturday morning.
Debris that landed in the area sparked three fires, the Abu Dhabi Media Office said.
In Oman, a drone attack on Salalah port "resulted in minor injuries to a foreign worker and limited damage to one of the cranes in the port's facilities".
In Kuwait, drone attacks caused "significant" damage to the radar system at its international airport, authorities said. No injuries were reported.
Bahrain reported intercepting 20 missiles and 23 drones since Friday, with one attack causing a fire at a "facility" that was later extinguished.
Iran says it is attacking US military bases and interests in the region, but has repeatedly hit its neighbours energy facilities and ports. It has also struck Jordan, which on Saturday reported facing 262 drone and missile attacks on "vital sites” since the war began.
Iran itself continues to face heavy bombardment from the US and Israel, who have vowed to destroy its nuclear and military capabilities.
However, the attacks have taken a high civilian toll, with more than 1,400 killed so far.
At least five people were killed and seven injured after a strike on a residential unit in the north-western city of Zanjan, Iranian media reported early on Saturday. The Iran University of Science and Technology in Tehran was also struck, media reported.
Iran's state-run Fars news agency reported explosions across several districts of Tehran early on Saturday, including strikes near Mehrabad Airport west of the capital – the main hub for domestic flights.
On Friday, air strikes by the US-Israeli alliance struck a heavy water research reactor that is part of Iran’s Arak nuclear complex, as well as a plant in Yazd province for production of yellowcake – a powdered form of uranium ore. Two of Iran’s biggest steelmakers were also hit.
