Pakistan urges US, Iran to extend ceasefire

CEO Goh Miah Kiat said rising costs across petrochemical-based inputs, including synthetic rubber, nitrile and packaging materials, were forcing the company to pass on higher prices to customers. “We have no choice but to transfer the costs right now,” he said.

Karex is also seeing demand rise by about 30% this year as shipping delays and higher freight costs leave customers with lower stockpiles.

Shipments to Europe and the United States are now taking close to two months to arrive, compared with about a month previously, the company said.

The company produces more than 5 billion condoms annually and supplies major brands including Durex and Trojan, as well as public health systems such as Britain’s NHS and UN-backed aid programs.

Karex said it has enough supplies for the coming months and is looking to boost output, but warned that ongoing disruptions to energy and petrochemical flows from the Middle East are tightening global supply chains.

Iran on Tuesday condemned the United Arab Emirates over the arrest of individuals accused by Abu Dhabi of links to Tehran, calling the allegations “baseless” and politically motivated.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the detentions were carried out under “unfounded pretexts.”

Baghaei said “raising such baseless claims and anti-Iran narratives” would not deflect attention from what he described as the role of US and Israeli allies in military actions against Iran.

The comments came after the United Arab Emirates said it had dismantled a group accused of planning attacks and undermining national stability, adding that those detained had links to Iran.

“I don’t want to extend the ceasefire,” US President Donald Trump said on Iran, adding that Washington is “ready to go militarily,” according to remarks in a CNBC interview.

"I expect to be bombing because I think that's a better attitude to go in with. But we're ready to go. I mean, the military is raring to go," he said.

Trump said “we don’t have that much time,” adding that the United States was negotiating from a position of strength and would “end up with a great deal.”

He said Washington was “dealing with them very successfully” and described the US as being in a “strong negotiating position.”

Trump also said the US blockade had been “a success,” referring to measures imposed during the conflict.

British counter-terrorism police have arrested eight people as part of an investigation into a series of suspected arson attacks, including an alleged plot targeting a Jewish-linked venue in London.

Seven arrests were made over the past 48 hours on suspicion of conspiracy to commit arson, while an eighth man was detained separately under the Terrorism Act in connection with another incident, police said on Tuesday.

Authorities said the exact target of the suspected plot was not yet known, though it is believed to be linked to the Jewish community.

The arrests follow a wider investigation into multiple incidents, including an attack on Hatzola ambulances in Golders Green in March. Police said 23 people have been arrested so far, with eight charged and others still in custody or on bail.

Counter Terrorism Policing said officers were continuing searches and had increased deployments in northwest London to deter further attacks and reassure local communities.

The United States and Iran have signaled they will attend a new round of ceasefire talks in Islamabad early on Wednesday, two regional officials said, according to the Associated Press.

The officials said Pakistan-led mediators had received confirmation that the top negotiators, US Vice President JD Vance and Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, are expected to arrive in the Pakistani capital to lead their delegations.

They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters, AP reported.