- Trump praises Pakistani leadership, calling them “fantastic people”.
- US President signals possible Islamabad visit if Iran deal is signed.
- US-Iranian negotiators expected to meet amid breakthrough optimism.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has hailed US President Donald Trump’s “kind and gracious” remarks praising Pakistani leadership as the two leaders exchanged heated messages on social media amid ongoing diplomatic efforts to end the US-Iran conflict.
The exchange comes as Trump once again praised Pakistani leadership, including Prime Minister Shehbaz and Chief of the Defense Staff (CDF) and Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, and highlighted the strengthening of ties between Washington and Islamabad following Pakistan’s key mediating role.
In a post on X, Prime Minister Shehbaz expressed “deep and profound appreciation” for Trump’s words on behalf of the people of Pakistan and the military leadership.
Trump, writing on Truth Social, thanked Pakistan and described its leadership as “fantastic people”.
His remarks came after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced that passage for all commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz has been declared fully open for the remaining period of the ceasefire.
Araghchi said in a post on X that shipping through the strategic waterway will operate on coordinated routes already determined by Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization.
Separately, Trump said Axios that US and Iranian negotiators are likely to meet over the weekend and expressed confidence that a deal could be finalized within “a day or two”.
He also revealed on Thursday that if an agreement to end the war is signed in Islamabad, he may travel there, adding that Iran has accepted “almost everything”.
The previous meeting in Islamabad, held three days after last Wednesday’s ceasefire announcement, marked the first direct meeting between US and Iranian officials in more than a decade and the highest engagement since Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.
US Vice President JD Vance and Iranian Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf led their respective delegations in the latest round of talks to resolve a range of issues, including the Strait of Hormuz, a key transit point for global energy supplies that Iran has effectively blocked but the US has promised to reopen, as well as Iran’s international nuclear program and Iran’s nuclear program.
The trilateral ‘Islamabad Talks’ lasted nearly 21 hours after beginning on the afternoon of April 11, reflecting the complexity and high stakes involved.
Despite extensive discussions, the first round ended without a formal agreement. However, officials in Islamabad saw the meeting as an important step in opening direct channels of communication between Washington and Tehran.
