Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called on President Trump to extend the deadline yet again to delay the US mass bombing of Iran’s infrastructure.
Pakistan, which has been playing mediator between the US and Iran, said in a statement Tuesday afternoon that diplomacy is “progressing steadily” as the clock ticks closer to Trump’s 8 p.m. deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
“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,” the prime minister said. “To allow diplomacy to run its course, I earnestly request President Trump to extend the deadline for two weeks.”
Pakistan, which has been passing messages between Washington and Tehran throughout the weeks-long war, also asked Iran to “open Strait of Hormuz for a corresponding period of 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,” Sharif added.
Trump has already pushed the deadline three times — first to March 27, then April 6 and finally to April 7 to avoid bombing Iran on Easter Monday, he told reporters at the White House that day.
The White House is reviewing the offer.
“The president has been made aware of the proposal, and a response will come,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.
This is a developing story. Please check back for more information.
