Pakistan hosts regional powers for talks on reopening Hormuz

The American University of Beirut said it would move to remote learning for two days following threats by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to target American universities in the region.

“At this time, we have no evidence of direct threats against our university, its campuses or medical centres. At the same time, out of an abundance of caution, we will operate fully online on Monday and Tuesday, with the exception of essential personnel,” AUB President Fadlo Khouri said in a statement.

Earlier on Sunday, the IRGC threatened to target American universities in the Middle East after saying US-Israeli strikes had destroyed two Iranian universities.

Qatar condemned an attack targeting the residence of Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani in Iraq’s Duhok governorate, the foreign ministry said on Sunday.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterates the State of Qatar's firm stance against violence, terrorism, and criminal acts, regardless of their motives or justifications,” the ministry said.

“The Ministry affirms the State of Qatar's categorical rejection of all acts that threaten security and stability in the brotherly Republic of Iraq,” it added.

Two India-bound LPG tankers carrying about 94,000 metric tons of cooking gas have safely passed through the Strait of Hormuz and are heading to India, the government said on Sunday.

India’s petroleum ministry said BW Tyr and BW Elm are due to arrive in Mumbai on March 31 and New Mangalore on April 1. The ministry added that port operations across India remain normal.

The shipments come despite severe disruption to traffic through the waterway.

Four LPG tankers have already completed the crossing, while three more are still in the western section of the strait, LSEG ship tracking data showed on Friday.

India said 18 Indian-flagged vessels with 485 Indian seafarers remain in the western Persian Gulf region.

A senior UAE official said any political solution to Iranian attacks on Persian Gulf states must include reparations and guarantees against future aggression.

Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, said a deal should enshrine non-aggression principles and require Iran to compensate for strikes on civilian infrastructure and populations.

He added that Iran had misled its neighbors before the war about its intentions and now posed a primary threat to Persian Gulf security.

Iran’s navy commander warned the United States that the USS Abraham Lincoln would face shore-to-sea missile fire if it entered what he described as Iran’s strike range.

Rear Admiral Shahram Irani said Iran was closely monitoring the carrier group’s movements and its requests to regional countries in real time.

He added that the eastern Strait of Hormuz and the Sea of Oman, which he described as the gateway to the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf, were under the full control of Iran’s navy.