Despite Trump’s stance, there are signs that backchannels are still active to avoid the worst-case scenario.
ISLAMABAD:
Initial proposals exchanged between Iran and the United States through Pakistan failed to break the deadlock, as Islamabad now awaits a revised set of proposals from Tehran, seeking to end the war that has already disrupted oil supplies and threatened the global economy.
Amid growing uncertainty, messages from both Iran and the United States are contradictory.
US President Donald Trump posted a mock image of himself holding a gun and wearing aviator sunglasses on his Truth Social platform, along with a warning for Iran.
“NO MORE MR. NICE,” the text on the image reads, along with an image of the American flag.
Trump also had a message for Iran in a morning post, writing: “Iran can’t get its act together. They don’t know how to sign a non-nuclear deal. They better get smart soon! President DJT.”
Despite Trump’s stance, there are signs that backchannels are still active to avoid the worst-case scenario.
Separately, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif gave more details on Wednesday for the first time about Pakistan’s mediation efforts and indicated that a response from Tehran was expected.
The prime minister told the cabinet that Iran’s Foreign Minister, after traveling twice to Islamabad and then to Oman and Russia, spoke to him.
“I spoke to him (Araghchi) over the phone and he assured me that detailed meetings had been held and that after consultation with the leadership, a response would be given as soon as possible,” Shehbaz added, without revealing further details.
The prime minister’s comments suggested that a detailed response has yet to be received from Tehran on how to end the war.
Amid a fragile ceasefire in Gaza and a worsening humanitarian crisis, Pakistan told the UN Security Council that it upholds universal respect for international law and the peaceful resolution of disputes and continues to actively participate in advancing diplomatic pathways towards peace and stability in the Middle East.
“The root cause of instability in the Middle East remains the unresolved issue of Palestine and the continued Israeli occupation of Arab lands,” Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Pakistan’s permanent representative to the UN, said in a debate on the situation in the Middle East.
“They are not expansionist ambitions or illegal wars, but the end of the occupation, for the realization of a Palestinian State, the two-state solution, which is the only viable framework for a just, lasting and global peace,” he added.
In his comments, Ambassador Asim Ahmad, Pakistan’s envoy, said more than 800 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli attacks since the ceasefire was announced, underscoring both the scale of the crisis and the sensitivity of the situation. “It is essential to fully respect and consolidate the ceasefire and ensure sustained, unimpeded and expanded humanitarian assistance.”
