Trump’s Pakistan Ties Led to Pivotal Role in Truce With Iran

As US President Donald Trump’s deadline approached for Iran to reach a ceasefire or face “all hell,” Pakistan emerged as a key mediator to help deliver a two-week pause in fighting.

With the world bracing for a worst-case scenario, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif made a public appeal for both sides to agree to a ceasefire to allow more time for a lasting end to the war. The move, which prompted US stocks to reverse declines, set the stage for Trump’s announcement just hours later that he would pause fighting following talks with Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, Pakistan’s powerful military chief.