Web Desk/AFP

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Middle East

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WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump threatened on Tuesday to sever all trade with Spain after it refused to let US planes use its bases to attack Iran, while also lashing out at Britain for not cooperating more. Spain&#39;s left-wing government, led by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, one of Europe&#39;s most defiant leaders against Trump, has said that bases long used by US forces could only be allowed for activities consistent with the United Nations Charter. &quot;Spain has been terrible,&quot; Trump told reporters as he met German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the White House. He also pointed to Sanchez&#39;s refusal to join NATO allies in a pledge to boost defense spending to 5% of GDP, a level pushed by Trump, who says the United States bears too much of a burden. &quot;So, we&#39;re going to cut off all trade with Spain. We don&#39;t want anything to do with Spain,&quot; Trump said, adding that he had asked Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to &quot;cut off all dealings with Spain.&quot; It remains unclear what power Trump would have to &quot;end&quot; trade with Spain, after the Supreme Court struck down his use of emergency powers to impose arbitrary tariffs. Musing on the legalities, the 79-year-old property tycoon turned president said, &quot;I could tomorrow stop &mdash; or today, even better &mdash; stop everything having to do with Spain, all business.&quot; &quot;I have the right to ... do anything I want with it,&quot; he said. The Spanish government quickly responded that it had a &quot;mutually beneficial&quot; trading relationship with the United States and other countries. &quot;If the US administration wishes to review this relationship, it must do so while respecting the autonomy of private companies, international law and bilateral agreements between the European Union and the US,&quot; it said. &quot;Our country has the necessary resources to contain possible impacts, help sectors that may be affected, and diversify supply chains.&quot; Sanchez has called for dialogue to end the war on Iran, saying that &quot;one can oppose a hateful regime and at the same time oppose an unjustified and dangerous military intervention.&quot; Sanchez is also an outspoken critic of Israel, accusing it of carrying out genocide in its massive military operation in Gaza, an assertion Israel denies. US forces use the Rota naval base and Moron air base in Spain. During the 2003 Iraq invasion, Spain, then under conservative prime minister Jose Maria Aznar, staunchly backed the United States. &#39;Not happy&#39; with Britain Britain, a steadfast ally of the United States throughout the two World Wars and in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, also decided not to join the assault on Iran. &quot;I&#39;m not happy with the UK,&quot; Trump said, as he added of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer: &quot;This is not Winston Churchill that we&#39;re dealing with.&quot; Starmer said US fighter jets could use two UK air bases &mdash; one in Gloucestershire in western England and the other at the joint UK-US Diego Garcia base in the Indian Ocean &mdash; for a &quot;specific and limited defensive purpose.&quot; But Starmer said the United States was not authorized to use UK bases in Cyprus, one of which was struck by an Iranian-made drone. &quot;It&#39;s taken three, four days for us to work out where we can land,&quot; Trump said in apparent reference to Diego Garcia. &quot;There would have been much more convenient landing there, as opposed to flying many extra hours.&quot; Trump, after a series of flip-flops, has denounced Starmer for agreeing to return the Chagos Islands, home to the Diego Garcia base and whose people were expelled by Britain, to Mauritius, and instead to lease the base. &quot;I will say the UK has been very, very uncooperative with that stupid island that they have,&quot; Trump said.

Americas

Spain's left-wing government has said that bases long used by US forces could only be allowed for activities consistent with the United Nations Charter; Spanish government says it had a "mutually beneficial" trading relationship with the United States and other countries.

Trump threatens Spain ties over Iran war refusal

WASHINGTON: Bill Clinton has offered an explanation for viral photos released as part of the Jeffrey Epstein files that show the former US president in a hot tub and a pool with a woman whose face is redacted. Clinton and his wife, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, testified last week before a Republican-led congressional panel investigating convicted sex offender Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell. Clinton told the House Oversight Committee he had no knowledge of the sex crimes of Epstein, who died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking. During the deposition, the 79-year-old former president was asked about a photo that shows him in a hot tub with a woman whose face is covered with a black square and another picture of him in a swimming pool with Maxwell and an unidentified woman. Clinton said the photos were taken at a hotel during a visit he made to Brunei at the invitation of the Sultan, who was interested in helping with the Clinton Foundation&#39;s AIDS initiative. &quot;He invited me to stay there and he said, &#39;I want you to stay at this hotel and I hope you&#39;ll use the pool,&#39;&quot; Clinton said. &quot;I swam around. I sat in the hot tub for five minutes or whatever it was and I got up and went to bed,&quot; he said. &quot;I also believe that there was a Secret Service agent there at the other end of the pool.&quot; Clinton said he did not know the identity of the unidentified woman in the photos but he believed she was a member of the traveling party. &quot;I don&#39;t know who that is,&quot; he said. Asked if he had &quot;engaged in any sexual activities&quot; with the woman in the photos, Clinton replied: &quot;No.&quot; Hillary Clinton told the congressional panel that she did not know Epstein, and Bill Clinton said he broke ties with him before the financier&#39;s sex crimes came to light in 2008. Bill Clinton acknowledged during his testimony that he flew on Epstein&#39;s private plane several times in the early 2000s for Clinton Foundation-related humanitarian work. The depositions were held behind closed doors in Chappaqua, New York, where the Clintons reside, and the committee released videos of their testimony on Monday. Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking minor girls to Epstein. Both Bill Clinton and President Donald Trump figure prominently in the Epstein files released by the Department of Justice but neither has been formally accused of any wrongdoing. Clinton told the committee that Trump, a one-time close friend of Epstein, &quot;never said anything to me to make me think he was involved in anything improper with regard to Epstein either.&quot;

Hillary says she did not know Epstein, Bill says he broke ties with him before the financier's sex crimes came to light in 2008, acknowledges that he flew on Epstein's private plane several times in the early 2000s for Clinton Foundation-related humanitarian work.



Ex-US president Clinton explains hot tub, pool photos from Epstein files

Web Desk

Israel says it has launched another “broad wave” of strikes after munitions debris fell in Tel Aviv following a new barrage of Iranian missiles; Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is to be buried in the holy city of Mashhad; and Donald Trump says the US Navy could escort tankers through the Strait of Hormuz to safeguard shipping routes.

Macron says US, Israel acted 'outside international law' in Iran strikes

WASHINGTON: Social media platform X announced Tuesday it would suspend creators from its revenue sharing program for 90 days if they post AI-generated videos of armed conflicts without disclosing they were artificially made, the company said.&nbsp;The policy change, announced by an X executive on the Elon Musk-owned platform, targets what the company described as a threat to information authenticity during wartime, as generative AI tools make it increasingly easy to produce misleading footage.&nbsp;&quot;During times of war, it is critical that people have access to authentic information on the ground,&quot; X&#39;s head of product Nikita Bier said, adding that current AI technologies make it &quot;trivial to create content that can mislead people.&quot;

Artificial Intelligence

Social media platform X said it will suspend creators for 90 days from its revenue-sharing program if they post AI-generated armed conflict videos without disclosure. The move aims to protect information authenticity during war time, amid growing misuse of generative AI tools.

X suspends revenue sharing for undisclosed AI war videos

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan passed on to Iran Saudi assurances that their territory would not be used for attacks against it. This resulted in minimal or no attacks by Iran on Saudi Arabia and Oman during the recent escalation, said Pakistan&rsquo;s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday.&nbsp;Addressing a media briefing at the Foreign Office in Islamabad, the foreign minister said that Pakistan remains engaged in &quot;shuttle communication&quot; to de-escalate the recent situation in the Middle East.&nbsp;&nbsp;Dar said he spoke with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, and mentioned the Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed in September 2025.&nbsp;&nbsp;Based on the agreement, Dar said that he sought assurances from the Saudis and passed them on to the Iranian side, reiterating that Saudi territory would not be used for attacks against Iran. Because of these assurances, he said, there have been minimal or no Iranian attacks on Saudi Arabia and Oman during the recent escalation.&nbsp;In the session, the foreign minister said that he has been in contact with foreign ministers of Turkey, the Maldives, Bangladesh, Palestine, Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Oman, Iraq, Azerbaijan, and Bahrain, as well as representatives from the European Union, to promote diplomacy and dialogue.&nbsp;Regarding Afghanistan, Dar said that Pakistan continues to pursue regional connectivity, specifically a rail project connecting Uzbekistan to Pakistan via Afghanistan.&nbsp;He expressed disappointment that the current Afghan regime has failed to prevent its soil from being used by terrorist groups like the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).&nbsp;Addressing concerns about stranded Pakistanis in Iran and the Gulf region amid the fluid security situation, Foreign Minister Dar noted that, with the exception of Oman and Saudi Arabia, most airspace in the region is currently closed.&nbsp;To assist stuck citizens, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has activated its Crisis Management Unit, which is operational 24/7.&nbsp;&nbsp;The minister said that 792 Pakistanis have already returned from Iran through various border points: 694 via Taftan, 59 via Ramdan, and 39 via Astara. Additionally, 46 students returned through Taftan and 62 through Ramdan, he added.&nbsp;Because the northern part of Iran is closer to Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijan government is providing &quot;Visa on Arrival&quot; and logistical support to Pakistanis, he added.So far, 64 Pakistanis have reached Azerbaijan from Iran; 42 have arrived in Lahore via Azal Airlines&nbsp;&lsquo;Unwarranted&rsquo;Earlier, Foreign Minister Dar sharply condemned the recent attack on Iran and the martyrdom of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, calling for an immediate halt to regional escalation through diplomacy.&nbsp;Addressing the Senate, Dar described the Feb. 28 strike against Iran as &quot;unwarranted&quot; and expressed deep concern over the violation of international law, noting the &quot;age-old convention&quot; that heads of state should not be targeted.&nbsp;&quot;The government and the people of Pakistan join the people of Iran in their hour of grief and sorrow,&quot; Dar said, following a formal statement of condolence from the prime minister.&nbsp;The deputy prime minister revealed that, prior to the escalation, Pakistan had been actively mediating between the United States and Iran, alongside Oman.&nbsp;&nbsp;He noted that IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi had expressed optimism about the &quot;positive direction&quot; of the talks during a recent meeting in Austria.&nbsp;Dar told the Senate that Pakistan has consistently advocated for Iran&#39;s right to the &quot;peaceful use of nuclear energy.&quot; He disclosed that Pakistan had argued against the total destruction of Iran&#39;s nuclear infrastructure, supporting the 3.67% enrichment level previously accepted under the JCPOA, provided it remained under international surveillance.&nbsp;According to Dar, both Washington and Tehran had previously expressed willingness to use Islamabad as a venue for mediation.

Security

Foreign Affairs

Pakistan passed on to Iran Saudi assurances that its territory would not be used for attacks against it, resulting in minimal or no attacks by Iran on Saudi Arabia and Oman during the recent escalation

Pakistan passed on Saudi assurances to Iran of no use of territory: Dar   

RIYADH: The US embassy in Riyadh on Tuesday warned of an imminent attack in the eastern Saudi city of Dhahran, home to much of the kingdom&#39;s energy installations along the Gulf coast.&nbsp;&quot;There is a threat of imminent missile and UAV attacks over Dhahran. Do not come to the US Consulate&quot; the embassy wrote on its official X account.&nbsp;The warning came just hours after the US mission in Riyadh was attacked by two drones that sparked a small fire on the embassy grounds, as Iran pressed on with retaliatory strikes across the Gulf.&nbsp;On Monday, the massive Ras Tanura refinery on Saudi Arabia&#39;s Gulf coast went into partial shutdown after a strike by drones.&nbsp;The complex run by the Saudi state oil giant Aramco is home to one of the largest refineries in the entire Middle East and a cornerstone of the kingdom&#39;s energy sector.&nbsp;Saudi Arabia is the world&#39;s biggest oil exporter, with most of its oil fields and petroleum infrastructure located along its eastern coast, across the Gulf from Iran.

Asia

The US embassy in Riyadh warned of imminent missile and drone attacks over Dhahran after two drones struck the mission. A strike also partially shut Ras Tanura refinery, highlighting threats to Saudi Arabia’s vital eastern oil infrastructure.

US embassy warns of imminent attack in eastern Saudi Arabia

TEHRAN: Iran on Tuesday urged the United Nations Security Council to take action to stop the Islamic republic&#39;s war with Israel and the United States.&nbsp;&quot;The United Nations Security Council has a duty... if it wishes, it can certainly act, because there is no obstacle to its action except its own will,&quot; said foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei during a foreign ministry briefing.

Iran asked the United Nations Security Council to help stop its war with Israel and the United States. Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said the council can take action if it wants to and has the will to do so.

Iran urges UN Security Council to move to stop war

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) on Tuesday dismissed media reports claiming a partial closure of the country&rsquo;s airspace, terming the interpretation &ldquo;incorrect and misleading.&rdquo; The authority clarified that a recently issued Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) was a routine operational advisory. The NOTAM announces the temporary unavailability of specific Air Traffic Services (ATS) route segments within the Karachi and Lahore Flight Information Regions during daily time windows from 0400 to 1000 UTC (0900 to 1500 Pakistan Standard Time) from March 3 to 31. The PAA said the route segments are closed from ground level to unlimited altitude for standard operational reasons, stressing that the country&rsquo;s airspace remains fully open and safe for all civil aviation traffic, including commercial flights. &ldquo;No restrictions have been imposed on commercial operations, arrivals, departures, or overflights across Pakistan,&rdquo; the authority said, adding that alternative routing options are available and routinely used where required. Air traffic services across the country are continuing without disruption, and controllers and airport teams are managing flight operations normally, the statement added. The authority urged media outlets and social media users to rely on official statements to avoid unnecessary concern among passengers and the public.

An Israeli Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refuelling aircraft flies over Tel Aviv on February 28, 2026. (Photo: AFP/File)

The authority clarifies that a recently issued Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) was a routine operational advisory.

Pakistan Airports Authority rejects reports of airspace ‘partial closure’

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Defense Minister Khawaja Asif warned that a Zionist-orchestrated&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/us-israel-strikes-iran-live-updates" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">war against Iran</a>&nbsp;aims to extend Israeli influence to Pakistan&rsquo;s border, threatening to surround the nuclear-armed nation with a joint hostile front. The defense minister characterized Zionism &ldquo;as a primary threat to humanity&rdquo; and the &ldquo;cause of every catastrophe in the Islamic world&rdquo; since Israel&rsquo;s establishment. He stated that Zionist ideology and the state have controlled the global economic system for a century. Khawaja Asif stated that major world powers currently remain hostage to these interests. Pakistan&rsquo;s nuclear deterrent and sovereignty The minister stated that Pakistan&rsquo;s status as a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/un-nuclear-agency-to-hold-extraordinary-meeting-on-iran-monday" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">nuclear power</a>&nbsp;protects its national sovereignty. He credited the courage of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif for conducting nuclear tests and praised the worldwide recognition of the nation&#39;s armed forces. Khawaja Asif said the country remains indebted to its &ldquo;martyrs and ghazis&rdquo; for protecting its security. Threats of regional encirclement The defense minister stated that a war is being imposed on Iran despite its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/us-lawmakers-say-no-evidence-iran-had-planned-first-strike-on-us" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">readiness for agreements</a>. He said the agenda seeks to create a &quot;single point&quot; of enmity involving Afghanistan, Iran, and India. This alignment would make Pakistani borders insecure and turn the nation into a &quot;vassal state.&quot; &ldquo;Despite Iran&#39;s readiness for agreement, a war has been imposed upon them, and its agenda, orchestrated by the Zionists, includes bringing Israel&#39;s influence right up to Pakistan&#39;s border. The joint single point agenda of Afghanistan, Iran, and India will then be enmity towards Pakistan, making our borders insecure, surrounding us with enemies from all sides, and turning Pakistan into a vassal state,&rdquo; he said. Call for national unity The defense minister urged all 250 million Pakistanis to look past political and religious affiliations to understand these intentions. He called for unity across the Muslim world to recognize its &ldquo;eternal enemies.&rdquo; Khawaja Asif concluded with prayers for the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/arab-countries-condemn-us-ambassadors-remarks-on-israels-right-to-mideast-land" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">freedom of Palestine</a> and the continued strength of Pakistan.

Defense Minister of Pakistan Khawaja Muhammad Asif. (Associated Press of Pakistan)

Defense Minister Khawaja Asif says Israel is creating a hostile front to surround and destabilize the nuclear-armed nation.

War on Iran aims to bring Israeli influence to Pakistan border: Defense Minister

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) struck Afghanistan&rsquo;s&nbsp;Bagram Air Base&nbsp;as part of the ongoing <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/operation-ghazab-lilhaq-435-killed-as-pakistan-strikes-afghan-targets" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Operation Ghazab lil-Haq</a>&nbsp;against the Afghan Taliban, security sources confirmed Tuesday. The sources referred to a report issued by Afghanistan&rsquo;s defense ministry detailing the damage caused by the strike. The report stated that several key military assets were destroyed. This includes Black Hawk helicopters, a Hercules cargo aircraft, a Tucano aircraft, armored vehicles and other equipment, targeting one of the Afghan Taliban&rsquo;s most prized military assets The strike on <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/us-deal-on-bagram-base-not-possible-afghan-taliban" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bagram Air Base</a> was confirmed by satellite images obtained by The New York Times. The American newspaper reported that Pakistan carried out multiple strikes to destroy equipment and supplies. Afghan officials confirmed Sunday that there had been an attack on the base.

Bagram Airfield (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Afghanistan

PAF strike on Bagram destroyed key Taliban assets: Black Hawk helicopters, Hercules cargo aircraft, Tucano aircraft, armored vehicles, and other equipment, per Afghan defense ministry report cited by security sources.

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