Washington and Tehran trade threats, Pakistan deports Afghan citizens

Al Jazeera Podcasts. The U.S. wants Iran to issue a public statement declaring the Strait of Hormuz is open. That's according to senior administration officials. They've told reporters the U.S. wants Tehran to commit to ending its attacks on commercial vessels in the waterway. Those demands come as Qatari mediators visit Iran for meetings aimed at de-escalating tensions with the U.S. President Donald Trump says Washington has agreed to continue talks with Tehran, but that the ceasefire is over. Iran's foreign minister, Abasa Raqqi, is in the Omani capital of Muscat for talks with senior officials there. Discussions are expected to focus on mechanisms to ensure safe transit of ships through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's supreme leader, Moshtima Haminae, has just released a written statement, promising to retaliate for the killing of his father. Part of the message reads, We pledge to take revenge for the blood of all the pure and all the martyrs of these two wars from the criminal and shameless murderers. This revenge is the will of our nation and must certainly be carried out. The escalation between the U.S. and Iran this week put the ceasefire and the Memorandum of Understanding signed last month at risk. Here's how we got here. It began on Monday when the Revolutionary Guard struck three commercial vessels off the coast of Oman. The next day, the U.S. said it carried out retaliatory strikes on Iranian military targets. Tehran responded with missile and drone attacks on U.S. bases across the Gulf. On Wednesday, President Trump told reporters the ceasefire was over. His announcement rattled markets and oil prices increased. The Revolutionary Guard warned that it would respond if the U.S. continued its military intervention in the Strait of Hormuz. And although the fighting has paused, indirect nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran are still suspended. Pakistan is deporting thousands more Afghan refugees and migrants as part of what it calls a new repatriation drive. The latest forced returns come amid strained relations between Islamabad and Kabul. Pakistan's government launched a campaign to remove undocumented migrants in October of 2023, citing security concerns and the need to enforce immigration laws. Since 2024, authorities have expanded that crackdown, targeting Afghans with various legal statuses. These include Afghan citizen cardholders, those with proof of registration, and those whose visas had expired. The United Nations says more than 2.5 million Afghans have returned from Pakistan since 2003.