Pakistan, a mediator between the U.S. and Iran, on Wednesday requested that U.S. President Donald Trump grant a two-week extension to a deadline he imposed on Iran to end its blockade of Gulf oil.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif © Mena Today
Pakistan, a mediator between the U.S. and Iran, on Wednesday requested that U.S. President Donald Trump grant a two-week extension to a deadline he imposed on Iran to end its blockade of Gulf oil.
A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Tehran is positively reviewing Pakistan's request for a two-week ceasefire. The White House said Trump is aware of Pakistan's proposal, saying a response will come.
"To allow diplomacy to run its course, I earnestly request President Trump to extend the deadline for two weeks. Pakistan, in all sincerity, requests the Iranian brothers to open Strait of Hormuz for a corresponding period of two weeks as a goodwill gesture," Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in a post on X.
Trump has given Iran until 8 p.m. EDT (0000 GMT) in Washington - 3:30 a.m. on Wednesday in Tehran - to end its blockade of Gulf oil or see the U.S. destroy every bridge and power plant in Iran.
Sharif urged "all warring parties" to observe a ceasefire everywhere for two weeks "to allow diplomacy to achieve conclusive termination of war".
He added that diplomatic efforts to settle the war peacefully were "progressing steadily, strongly and powerfully with the potential to lead to substantive results in near future".
Sources told Reuters on Tuesday that talks between the U.S. and Iran were at risk of being derailed following Tehran's attacks on Saudi Arabian industrial facilities.
Pakistan has been the main go-between for proposals shared by Iran and the United States, but there has been no sign of a compromise.
Reporting by Gursimran Kaur
The United States expressed confidence that peace talks with Iran would go ahead in Pakistan and a senior Iranian official said Tehran was considering joining, but significant hurdles and uncertainty remained as the end of a ceasefire loomed.
Ships were largely avoiding the Strait of Hormuz on Monday after an escalation at the weekend in which Iran fired what appeared to be warning shots at vessels and the U.S. military seized an Iranian cargo ship.
In a characteristically combative post on Truth Social, US President Donald Trump has pushed back against media narratives surrounding the conflict with Iran, while doubling down on his conviction that Tehran must never acquire a nuclear weapon and openly calling for regime change.
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