Vienna: The United Nations&#39; nuclear agency will hold an extraordinary meeting on Iran on Monday in the wake of the US-Israeli strikes on the Islamic republic, aimed in part at Tehran&#39;s atomic programme. In a statement late on Saturday, the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said the meeting was at the request of Russia, a key ally of Tehran. Iran had made the same request in a letter to IAEA chief Rafael Grossi on Saturday following the strikes, which led to the death of Iran&#39;s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. As a result, the agency will hold a &quot;special session of the IAEA Board of Governors on matters related to military strikes of the United States and Israel against the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran&quot;, the IAEA said in a statement. That extraordinary meeting will precede an already scheduled session of the board, which represents 35 countries. Following the strikes, the &nbsp;IAEA said it was &quot;closely monitoring developments in the Middle East, and urges restraint to avoid any nuclear safety risks to people in the region&quot;. The UN nuclear watchdog had also stressed on Friday the &quot;utmost urgency&quot; of its request to verify all nuclear material in Iran, according to a confidential report seen by AFP. Western countries led by the United States and Israel, Iran&#39;s arch-enemy, accuse the Islamic republic of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons. Tehran denies having such military ambitions, but insists on its right to this technology for civilian purposes.

Middle East

IAEA will convene an extraordinary Board of Governors meeting Monday, requested by Russia and Iran, after US-Israeli strikes on Iran, The agency urged restraint and reiterated urgency to verify Iran’s nuclear material.

UN nuclear agency to hold extraordinary meeting on Iran Monday

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met with US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel in Washington on Saturday, with discussions focusing on counterterrorism, illegal immigration, and officer exchange programs.&nbsp;Naqvi is visiting the US as part of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif&rsquo;s official delegation, which, a day earlier, saw Sharif meet US President Donald Trump at the White House to discuss trade and investment opportunities.&nbsp;Taking to X (Twitter), Naqvi described his meeting with Patel as &ldquo;excellent,&rdquo; praising the FBI chief&rsquo;s &ldquo;professionalism and vision&rdquo; and calling him a valuable partner.&nbsp;The talks reaffirmed Pakistan&rsquo;s commitment to fighting terrorism, echoing Sharif&rsquo;s recent address at the UN General Assembly, where he highlighted Pakistan&rsquo;s sacrifices in the war on terror and pledged to eliminate all terrorist groups.&nbsp;The engagement reflects deepening cooperation between Washington and Islamabad in tackling global security challenges, curbing illegal migration, and enhancing counterterrorism coordination.&nbsp;Last month, the two countries also held a round of the US-Pakistan Counterterrorism Dialogue in Islamabad, reaffirming their resolve to combat terrorism &ldquo;in all its forms and manifestations,&rdquo; according to the State Department.

Foreign Affairs

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met FBI Director Kash Patel in Washington to discuss counter-terrorism, illegal immigration, and officer exchanges, reaffirming security cooperation a day after PM Shehbaz Sharif’s meeting with US President Donald Trump.

Pakistan, US vow to cooperate on security and illegal immigration

<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ISLAMABAD:&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Global oil prices fell to a two-week low on Thursday after an unexpected build in U.S. crude inventories and growing speculation that OPEC+ may raise output in their meeting on Sunday. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Eight core members, often referred to as the &lsquo;Voluntary Eight&rsquo; (V8), are now weighing an output increase starting in October. The group includes Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, the UAE, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria, and Oman.&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A final decision is expected at the <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/opec-meets-with-future-oil-production-hanging-in-the-balance" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">OPEC+ meeting</a><span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> on Sunday. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This comes after their earlier cut production by 2.2 million barrels per day (bpd), with the United Arab Emirates reducing a further 300,000 bpd to stabilize the market. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) crude oil stockpiles rose by 2.4 million barrels last week, which was unprecedented for analysts who were expecting a 2.0 million barrel draw.&nbsp; <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The American Petroleum Institute (API) also reported an increase, but only by 0.6 million barrels. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Brent crude for October delivery closed at $68.12 a barrel on Friday, down 50 cents or 0.73%. The November contract, which is now the main one traders follow, slipped 53 cents or 0.78% to end the day at $67.45, as reported by Reuters.&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Eight core members are now considering an output increase in October, Reuters reported, with a final decision expected at the alliance&rsquo;s Sunday meeting. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Such a move would represent a shift from their strategy adopted in April. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Analysts say the decision to increase quotas was aimed at regaining market share, following diplomatic pressure from United States President Donald Trump to reduce energy prices. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Back in January, Trump pushed for <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/oil-plunges-after-trumps-iran-comments-asian-markets-mixed" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">oil price reductions</a><span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> during the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Past Comments&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">US President Donald Trump called on Saudi Arabia and OPEC to reduce oil prices during the annual World Economic Forum in Davos.&nbsp; <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Speaking to global leaders and business executives, Trump said he would formally request the oil-producing alliance to take action on energy costs. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">&quot;I&#39;m also going to ask Saudi Arabia and OPEC to bring down the cost of oil,&quot; Trump announced during the session. He added, &quot;You&#39;ve got to bring down the oil price, you&#39;ve got to end that war. They should have done it long ago; they&#39;re very responsible, actually, to a certain extent, for what&#39;s taken place.&quot; <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Trump&rsquo;s comments come amid rising geopolitical tensions and ongoing efforts by the United States to curb Russian oil exports.&nbsp; <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">His administration has recently imposed tariffs on countries like India for purchasing Russian crude and urged European allies to reduce energy ties with Moscow.

TOKYO: A man walks past an electronic quotation board displaying numbers of the Nikkei Stock Average (R) on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in Tokyo on January 13, 2026. (File Photo by AFP/Kazuhiro Nogi)

OPEC+ is likely to raise output in October, with Saudi Arabia, Russia, and others weighing a shift from earlier cuts; oil fell as US inventories rose ahead of Sunday's meeting.

Articles tagged with "Meeting"

UN nuclear agency to hold extraordinary meeting on Iran Monday

Pakistan, US vow to cooperate on security and illegal immigration

OPEC+ expected to raise production levels in major strategic shift