U.S. President Donald Trump stated that the United States is engaged in "vigorous negotiations" regarding the war with Iran, while Pakistani diplomacy is making a final push to secure a two-week ceasefire and prevent an escalation of the conflict ahead of the expiration of the U.S. deadline. "I can’t give you the details because we’re in the midst of very vigorous negotiations," Trump said in a brief phone interview with Fox News when asked about his feelings on the current talks. The U.S. president added that he would soon be fully briefed on the proposal by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for a two-week ceasefire. He had only words of praise for the Pakistani prime minister. "I can say this—I know him very well. He is a highly respected man, everywhere," Trump said. The White House had earlier announced that the president was aware of the proposal and that a "response would follow."
Diplomatic Offensive in the Middle of the Night Meanwhile, in Islamabad, it was past 2 a.m., and Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar was conducting late-night phone calls with regional actors in a true diplomatic offensive. The deadline set by Trump expires at 8 p.m. U.S. time (2 a.m. local time), making the race against time critical. The Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued two statements regarding Dar’s discussions with the foreign ministers of Egypt and Saudi Arabia on the "development of the regional situation." Hope for a peaceful resolution was also confirmed by an unnamed regional source to CNN, who said that "good news is expected soon from both sides," noting that a final agreement could be reached as early as tonight.
Pakistani Mediation and Plea for a Ceasefire Pakistan has been acting as the main mediator between the U.S. and Iran in recent weeks. Prime Minister Sharif, on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), urged Trump to extend his deadline by two weeks while simultaneously calling on Tehran to allow maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz during that time. "To allow diplomacy to run its course, I sincerely urge President Trump to extend the deadline by two weeks. Pakistan, in full sincerity, appeals to our Iranian brothers to open the Strait of Hormuz for an appropriate two-week period as a gesture of goodwill. We also call on all warring parties to respect a two-week ceasefire everywhere so that diplomacy can achieve a final end to the war, in the interest of long-term peace and stability in the region," Sharif wrote. Recall that in an earlier post this week, Trump warned that the United States would attack power plants and bridges in Iran starting Tuesday evening if the Islamic Republic did not open this key shipping route. However, according to the latest information from Reuters, citing a senior Iranian official, Tehran is positively considering Pakistan’s request for a two-week ceasefire, raising hopes that diplomatic efforts will bear fruit before the ultimatum expires.