Even before we see the full details of President Donald Trump's deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and, perhaps, finally bring the 2026 US-Iran conflict to a close, it’s already clear that one of the more surprising developments of the conflict has been the prominent role of Pakistan as a mediator.
It was Pakistan’s military leader, Field Marshal Asim Munir, who served as the key go-between in the talks that led to the initial two-week US-Iran ceasefire in early April, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif who announced that it had gone into effect. Several days later, Islamabad hosted the highest level talks between the US and Iranian governments since 1979, including US Vice President JD Vance. On April 21, Trump announced the ceasefire had been extended, saying it was at Pakistan’s request. And it was Sharif who posted the news of this latest agreement online, even before President Trump did.
Whereas the “P5+1” countries of the UN Security Council — the US, China, the UK, France, and Russia, plus Germany — helped bring about the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, and Oman hosted the US-Iran talks in the lead-up to the war, Pakistan has been the intermediary and negotiating venue of choice since the conflict began. The world’s only predominantly Muslim nuclear power is a rare country with credibility on both sides of this war.
Pakistan’s prominent diplomatic role in the conflict is the latest sign of the unexpectedly close relations between the country’s government and the second Trump administration. “Thank you to Pakistan and its great prime minister and field marshal, two fantastic people!” Trump wrote in a characteristic Truth Social post in April. He has lavished particular praise on Munir, whom he has called an “exceptional man” and “my favorite field marshal.”
Pakistan’s new role as an indispensable US partner is partly due to some skilled Trumpian diplomacy by its government and partly due to just how much this administration’s global priorities have changed from the days when China and jihadist terrorism were the top of the agenda.
Read Josh's full story here.
