US-Iran Islamabad talks: all eyes on Pakistan as Shehbaz Sharif hosts delegations from Washington and Tehran

The Monocle team returns to Dubai to consider how the UAE has remained more resilient than headlines might suggest. We’re joined by Ted Kemp, chief content officer of ‘Khaleej Times’, the UAE’s longest-running English-language newspaper. Then: Christie’s auction house in the Middle East and news from Paris, London and Bangkok.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Team Monocle lands in Sharjah to see how the UAE has built resilience into its global trade and bet on education to further develop its status as an international hub. Plus: the latest from Indonesia and the Nordics.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our team is in Dubai for a look at the business and investment community’s view and the impact of a prolonged blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Plus: The Avenue, Dubai’s cultural hub and anchor in times of conflict.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re live from the UAE to discuss the US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and the state of tourism in the Gulf. Plus: papers from London and Zürich, and a look inside Abu Dhabi’s Museum of Contemporary Art and Design.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We get the view from the UAE and assess Donald Trump’s next move after peace talks in Islamabad collapse. Plus: the economic impact of the Iran war and the papers from Paris.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pakistan brokered a fragile US-Iran ceasefire, with Donald Trump crediting conversations with prime minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, as decisive for the deal. But high-stakes talks in Islamabad this weekend will test whether a lasting peace agreement can be reached as JD Vance leads the US delegation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The actions of the US in Iran have tested allies and diminished confidence in Washington’s global influence. Amid the fragile two-week ceasefire with Tehran, president Trump met with Nato chief, Mark Rutte. We discuss what’s at stake for the alliance and if Brand USA can rebuild trust abroad.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US and Iran agree to a provisional two-week ceasefire while war skeptic JD Vance visits the administration’s biggest ally in Europe. Plus: EU defence loans for Poland and the business of opera with Bassem Akiki.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The latest from the Gulf with Monocle’s regional correspondent Inzamam Rashid. Plus: a flick through the international papers, aviation news and why Switzerland’s president is proposing to restrict wine imports.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US and Israel hint at a two-week deadline for the Middle East war, though diplomatic efforts have stalled. Then: Artemis II takes humans to record-breaking distances; Myanmar’s new president and Turner Prize-winner Rachel Whiteread. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.