The US-Israel war against Iran rages on, with no sign yet of the conflict nearing an end.
While the week opened on an optimistic note, with US President Donald Trump holding off strikes on Tehran’s power infrastructure by five days until 27 March, missiles continued to streak across West Asian skies even as the US looked seriously at putting boots on the ground.
Trump has extended the pause by another 10 days until 7 April, amid reports of Pakistan playing the mediator and US vice-president J.D. Vance emerging as the lead negotiator, though Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff could also be part of the team.
If so, how does Trump’s claim that the US is negotiating with Iran align with Tehran’s repeated denials? Is any meeting agreed upon, and if so, when, where, and how would it take place—and is Pakistan tasked with arranging it? All these questions remain open-ended for now.
Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, has reportedly admitted that messages have been exchanged with the US via intermediaries, but said these constituted “neither dialogue nor negotiation, nor anything of the sort”.
Reports also indicate that the US and Iran have exchanged lists of conditions to pause hostilities. The US insists that Iran give up all its nuclear enrichment and missile capabilities. Iran has rejected US conditions and put forth some of its own, including an absolute end to all attacks and assassinations, concrete international guarantees that war won’t break out again and formal recognition of Iran's sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.
But among the things that are clear is that the US has ordered about 2,000 soldiers from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division to begin moving to West Asia, according to the New York Times. This is to give Trump additional military options even as he weighs a new diplomatic initiative with the Islamic republic, according to the report.
“About 2,300 Marines from the 31st Expeditionary Unit are scheduled to arrive in the Middle East later this week, and U.S. commanders could also use them to seize Kharg Island or to help clear the Strait of Hormuz,” the report said.
But doesn’t this call out those who have been saying the US is looking for an “off-ramp”—i.e., a way to de-escalate?
Guess this is what they call the “fog of war".
Now, to the question that has been raised about India having lost out to Pakistan as a peace broker.
For one, no one would have thought that India had lost out or been sidelined if Pakistan hadn’t been on the scene. Most would have shrugged and moved on after reading that Turkey and/or Egypt were trying to broker peace between the US, Israel, and Iran.
Second, India is clear that it will not mediate in its own disputes with other countries, so should it offer to play such a role in others’ crises?
Third, Pakistan has geography on its side—it borders Iran. It is also a Muslim country, and it's been playing the role of intermediary between the US and Iran for decades. Tehran's de facto diplomatic mission in the US has been hosted at Pakistan's embassy in Washington since diplomatic relations between the US and Iran ruptured in 1979.
Having said that, Pakistan’s fortunes have turned around in Trump 2.0, with Pakistan's army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir building a close relationship with the US President to repair years of mistrust. Islamabad has joined Trump’s Board of Peace, struck a deal with a crypto business linked to Trump's family to use its $1 stablecoin for cross-border payments, while White House envoy Steve Witkoff helped broker an agreement to redevelop New York's Roosevelt Hotel, owned by Pakistan's national airline.
It seems Pakistan has managed to dig itself out of the hole it fell into due to its past support for global terrorism. While it may seem like a lifetime ago, Osama bin Laden, America’s most wanted terrorist, was found and killed by US Special Forces in Pakistan in 2011—and that is recorded history.
It was only in February that Pakistan's defence minister Khawaja Asif accused Washington of "exploiting" his country for its strategic interests and then discarding it “like a piece of toilet paper”.
Change of plans
Trump has rescheduled his summit with Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, for 14-15 May, the White House announced on 25 March.
The summit, originally scheduled for 30 March, was delayed ostensibly because of the war, though the South China Morning Post said the two sides weren’t really prepared for the meeting. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump and first lady Melania Trump would also host Xi for a reciprocal visit in Washington “at a later date to be announced this year”.
The trip comes at a critical time in US-China relations, as the two countries remain at odds across a range of issues, including trade, Taiwan and regional security, even as both governments have signalled an interest in maintaining steady lines of communication at the leadership level.
Trump has dramatically ramped up US arms sales to Taiwan during his second term in office, and a further package is expected after his visit. The moves have angered Beijing, which says the island is its own territory.
Protecting children
Indonesia is the latest country to introduce social media curbs for children under 16. The aim, the government in Jakarta says, is to reduce the risk of cyberbullying and addiction.
It follows a 2025 ban in Australia over concerns about social media's potential harm to young people's mental health.
According to an Indonesian government order published this week, high-risk platforms must adjust their minimum age requirements and deactivate the accounts of underage users, and must independently assess the risks they pose. Platforms are determined to be high risk if they fulfil criteria such as the possibility of talking to strangers, addictive qualities, and psychological risks, the ministry said.
In India, Karnataka became the first state to ban social media for children under 16 on 6 March. Neighbouring states of Goa and Andhra Pradesh are also weighing restrictions.
Elizabeth Roche is associate professor of practice at O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat, Haryana.
For more of her columns, read The International Angle.