US President Donald Trump sparked fresh concerns over tensions with Iran after sharing a brief cryptic social media post that read, "It was the calm before the storm", along with an AI-generated image showing him aboard a military vessel in stormy seas.
The image, posted on Trump's Truth Social, featured an AI-generated image of Trump wearing a Make America Great Again (MAGA) hat beside a US Navy admiral, along with warships and Iranian-flagged vessels in the background.
The post comes amid multiple reports that the US is planning military strikes on Iran if ongoing negotiations fail to yield any results.
Trump has recently warned Iran it will have a “very bad time” if a peace deal is not agreed on soon. "They have an interest in reaching an agreement," Trump told French broadcaster BFMTV in a telephone interview.
Pakistan-mediated talks, aimed at ending the war that started on February 28, ended without a breakthrough last month as both sides remained divided over Iran’s nuclear programme and control of the Strait of Hormuz, a key route through which one-fifth of global oil shipments pass.
Iran still has a chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway where a fifth of the world's oil passed through before the war, and America is blockading Iranian ports.
Pakistan said Thursday it was continuing diplomatic efforts to help ease regional tensions. But it declined to disclose details of the discussions or say whether the US had formally responded.
"The clock on diplomacy has not stopped. The peace process is working," Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi told reporters in Islamabad.
(With inputs from AP)