Mediator Pakistan insisted on Thursday (July 30) that negotiations between Iran and the United States were ongoing, even as Washington carried out a “heavy wave of strikes” on its foe in retaliation for fresh attacks targeting Jordan.

The last two days have seen Saudi Arabia join the U.S. in striking militant groups in Iraq, while Egypt has come under fire for the first time with a drone attack at a Mediterranean port, leading its President to warn that the conflict in West Asia is facing a serious escalation.- AFP