Donald Trump Pressured Pakistan to Arrange Truce With Iran At the Last Minute

The White House leaned heavily on Pakistan to broker a temporary ceasefire with Iran, even as President Donald Trump intensified threats against Tehran, Financial Times reported on Wednesday.

For weeks, the Trump administration urged Islamabad to convince Iran for truce and to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. For a businessman like Trump, Pakistan’s role was crucial to selling the proposal to Tehran.

Back-channel diplomacy led by Pakistan’s Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, resulted in a two-week ceasefire between the US, Iran, and Israe.

Trump was shocked by rising oil prices and the heroic Iran military and sought special envoy Steve Witkoff’s help to get Pakistan into the loop.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif later made the ceasefire public on social media after direct discussions with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

Throughout the talks, Pakistani officials shuttled proposals between Tehran and Washington. While initial positions were far apart, both sides broadly agreed with each other’s demands for a truce.

Pakistan has masterfully maintained neutrality, even after signing a defense pact with Saudi Arabia last year.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian confirmed plans to send representatives to Islamabad for formal talks. US envoys will participate alongside Iranian figures, including Araghchi, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf, and a senior representative of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Still, the ceasefire could collapse as Israel continues bombing Hezbollah in Lebanon, which is excluded from the ceasefire.