Pakistan is still trying to mediate between the US and Iran. At the same time, intelligence agencies see signs of an even greater escalation: there are indications of a US ground invasion.
– More than five months after the start of the Iran War, well-informed sources in Pakistan consider a limited US ground offensive increasingly likely. Pakistani intelligence agencies assess that US President Donald Trump might ignore warnings from his own military and seize Iranian coastal regions with a limited offensive, the German Press Agency (dpa) learned from security sources in Islamabad. This assessment is based on military observations.
– Pakistan is a key mediator between Washington and Tehran in the Iran War. The conflict escalated again in early July over the Strait of Hormuz, crucial for global energy trade, after Iranian forces shelled ships in the waterway. The US military subsequently bombed numerous targets along Iran’s southern coast. The warring parties have paused their attacks for the past three nights.
– Pakistan and Qatar are once again mediating between the warring parties, according to Pakistani security sources. However, Iran’s leadership is seeking a lasting ceasefire and rejects a limited truce, the sources added.
– Iran’s armed forces had already warned the US of a ground offensive. The military is prepared, army spokesman Amir Akraminia said a few days ago. Experts consider a US invasion of Iran extremely risky. Soldiers would be exposed to missile and drone attacks there – without the protection offered by US bases in the Gulf states. According to the think tank IISS, the Iranian armed forces comprise approximately 610,000 active soldiers and paramilitary forces, as well as 350,000 reservists.
– The war between the US and Iran had recently eased in intensity. Three nights passed without attacks. Previously, the US had reported 13 consecutive nights of attacks on Iran.