Web Desk: The United States Embassy in Islamabad has extended the suspension of visa services until March 20, cancelling all previously scheduled immigrant and non-immigrant visa appointments, the mission said on Friday.
In a statement posted on social media, the embassy said affected applicants would receive further instructions by email regarding the rescheduling of their interviews.
At the same time, the embassy said it would continue providing routine assistance and emergency support to U.S. citizens in Pakistan.
The suspension also applies to U.S. consular operations in Pakistan’s largest cities. Officials said all consular services at the U.S. Consulates General in Karachi and Lahore remain paused until further notice.
The embassy did not immediately provide detailed reasons for the extension. However, the move comes amid escalating tensions in the Middle East and growing regional security concerns.
Meanwhile, fighting linked to the conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran has entered its second week, with casualties mounting across the region.
Reports from the region indicate that more than 2,000 people have been killed, most of them in Iran following joint U.S. and Israeli strikes. In Lebanon, Israeli military operations have also intensified, with nearly 700 people reported killed as strikes hit areas including central Beirut and parts of southern Lebanon.
As the conflict widened, the Israeli military on Friday issued evacuation warnings for residents in two districts of the Iranian capital, Tehran. The areas identified were Villa and Moniriyeh.
In a statement shared on its Persian-language social media account, the Israeli army said it planned to conduct operations targeting what it described as military infrastructure linked to the Iranian government and urged residents to leave the marked zones immediately for their safety.
Earlier this week, Iran’s newly installed Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei delivered his first public remarks since the conflict escalated. His message, read on state television, warned that Iran would maintain the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and urged regional countries to shut down U.S. military facilities on their soil.
He also vowed retaliation for those killed in the fighting.
Iranian officials said Khamenei sustained minor injuries during the early phase of the strikes but remains in command.
Leaders in Iran, Israel and the United States have all signaled they are prepared to continue military operations, underscoring the deepening crisis in the Middle East.
The fighting has already disrupted the lives of millions across the region and rattled global financial markets, raising concerns among international observers that the conflict could broaden further if diplomatic efforts fail to reduce tensions.
