“Diplomatic efforts for peaceful settlement of the ongoing war in the Middle East are progressing steadily, strongly and powerfully with the potential to lead to substantive results in near future,” Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif wrote in a post on X on Tuesday, just a few hours before the deadline Trump has set for Iranian authorities. AlJazeera reported.
To allow diplomacy to run its course, I earnestly request President Trump to extend the deadline for two weeks,” he said, while also calling on Iran to fully open the Strait of Hormuz for the same two weeks “as a goodwill gesture”.
“We also urge all warring parties to observe a ceasefire everywhere for two weeks to allow diplomacy to achieve conclusive termination of war, in the interest of long-term peace and stability in the region,” he added.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, speaking to Axios, said Trump was aware of Pakistan’s proposal and that a response would come. Separately, a senior Iranian official told the Reuters news agency that Tehran is positively reviewing the request.
Sharif’s message came a few hours before the end of the deadline imposed by Trump, who earlier on Tuesday escalated his rhetoric by suggesting in a Truth Social post that the US would destroy the Iranian “civilization” if Tehran does not fully open the Strait of Hormuz and submit to his terms.
Iran has effectively brought maritime traffic at the key waterway, through which one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas normally passes, to a near-total halt in retaliation for the US-Israeli attacks on its soil since February 28.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps vowed to disrupt oil and gas supplies for years, warning that “self-restraint is over”.
“Our response will extend beyond the region if the US military crosses our red lines,” it said in a statement.
A Pakistani source told Al Jazeera that detractors within all camps were trying to sabotage efforts to de-escalate and that until early in the morning, the possibility of a deal was on the table. “We’re at a dangerous escalation, but the possibility of diplomacy can’t be ruled out till the last minute,” the source said, adding that Islamabad remains committed to keeping all windows of talks open with all parties.
