Iran confirms ongoing exchanges with US via Pakistan, reaffirms uranium enrichment rights

Iran announced on Wednesday that communications with the United States are continuing through Pakistan, following the conclusion of their discussions in Islamabad last weekend. Esmaeil Baqaei, spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that multiple messages have been exchanged via Pakistan since Sunday. The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also reiterated Tehran's "unquestionable" right to enrich uranium, though it noted the level is "negotiable." Separately, Iran threatened to block the Red Sea if the US naval blockade of its ports persists, with General Ali Abdollahi, chief of the Iranian armed forces command, warning that continued US maritime blockades and "insecurity for Iran's commercial vessels and oil tankers" could precede a violation of the April 8 ceasefire. Meanwhile, the Israeli army reported striking over 200 Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon in the past 24 hours. This comes after direct talks between Israel and Lebanon in Washington on Tuesday aimed at achieving lasting peace. In other news, Pakistan announced daily two-hour electricity outages during peak evening hours to prevent a sharp increase in tariffs, attributing the energy crisis to global price surges, a consequence of the American-Israeli war against Iran. Japan pledged 8.5 billion euros in financial support to Southeast Asian countries through its "Power Asia" initiative to strengthen their energy supply chains and secure crude oil and petroleum products, as the Middle