Pakistan's mediation played a crucial role in the dramatic agreement between the United States and Iran on a two-week ceasefire, reached approximately 90 minutes before the negotiation deadline on April 7 (local time). Pakistan reportedly proposed the "two-week truce mediation plan" just five hours before the deadline (8 p.m. on April 7, or 9 a.m. on April 8 Korea time), helping both sides avert a catastrophe on the brink of escalation.
According to AP and Reuters on April 8 (local time), the US and Iran accepted the two-week ceasefire proposal 88 minutes before the deadline set by US President Donald Trump. The temporary truce was agreed 38 days after the Middle East war began with US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran on February 28.
Trump had issued a "48-hour ultimatum" to Iran on March 21, warning that he would destroy infrastructure including bridges and power plants if Iran did not open the Strait of Hormuz. After postponing the deadline three times, on the morning of April 7, he raised pressure to its peak, stating "tonight an entire civilization will disappear and never return."
However, with five hours remaining before the deadline, Pakistan proposed the "two-week truce mediation plan," and both the US and Iran accepted it, averting catastrophe at the brink of escalation. Egypt and Turkey also assisted Pakistan in delivering the mediation proposal to both countries. They reportedly aimed to either secure an agreement before the deadline or at least buy more time to prevent disaster.
Pakistan assumed the role of mediator around March 23, as the Middle East war entered its third week. General Asim Munir, Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff and a key power figure in the government, spoke with President Trump by phone on March 22, followed by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian the next day. On March 26, Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar officially announced that the US and Iran were engaged in indirect talks through Pakistani mediation.
Pakistan has rarely served as a mediator in major diplomatic matters. Past negotiations between the US and Iran were typically facilitated by Middle Eastern countries such as Oman or Qatar. However, this time, Middle Eastern countries hosting US military bases, including Qatar, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia, were unable to mediate directly as they faced retaliatory attacks from Iran. Pakistan, while a US ally, does not host US military bases and was therefore not targeted by Iranian missile attacks. Experts analyzed that Pakistan secured a unique position as a mediator because it is both a neighbor and Islamic brother nation to Iran while maintaining longstanding ties with the United States.
Notably, while Pakistan has a large Sunni Muslim population, it also has the world's second-largest Shia Muslim population after Iran. This made Pakistan better positioned to persuade hardliners in Shia-majority Iran compared to other Islamic countries with predominantly Sunni populations.
Pakistan has also been a "Major Non-NATO Ally" of the United States since 2004. When the US bombed Iranian nuclear facilities in June last year, Pakistan officially condemned the action while simultaneously strengthening relations with President Trump. Adam Weinstein of the Quincy Institute, a US think tank, told Reuters, "Pakistan has a history of maintaining substantive relationships with both the US and Iran while also having tensions with both," adding that "it has the conditions to be recognized as a credible mediator."
That said, Pakistan did not step forward as a mediator simply to act as a "guardian of peace" doing good deeds for others. If the Middle East war prolonged, Pakistan faced concerns that instability could spread to threaten its border security, while continued fuel supply disruptions could worsen its already struggling economy. Pakistan imports most of its oil and gas from Middle Eastern countries. Additionally, the approximately $30 billion in annual remittances sent home by 5 million Pakistanis working in the Middle East equals roughly the country's total export revenue.
Reuters noted that if US-Iran talks are held in Islamabad, Pakistan's capital, it could elevate the country's diplomatic standing in the international community to levels not seen since it facilitated President Nixon's visit to China in 1972. Kamran Bokhari, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, a US think tank, said, "Pakistan hosting US-Iran talks signifies a significant elevation in strategic standing," adding that "Pakistan, which has been an unstable country for decades, appears to be re-emerging as a key US ally in West Asia."