Washington, March 24 (IANS) US President Donald Trump spoke over the phone with Pakistan Army Chief Gen Asif Munir on the Iran war, the White House said.
“(I) can confirm (the phone call),” a White House official told IANS when asked about the talk between Trump and Munir over the weekend on the Iran war. The official, however, refrained from giving any further details, given the sensitivity of the talks and the efforts by key players to end the war between the US and Iran.
“These are sensitive diplomatic discussions and the United States will not negotiate through the news media,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt earlier told IANS.
People briefed on the matter told the publication that Munir spoke with Trump, while Pakistan has also pitched Islamabad as a possible venue for talks involving senior US and Iranian officials.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif spoke with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, according to posts on X and a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.
Sharif said he conveyed “warm Eid-ul-Fitr and Nowruz greetings” and expressed solidarity with Iran.
“As a neighbouring brotherly country, I expressed Pakistan’s solidarity with the brave Iranian people, conveyed deep condolences on the loss of precious lives, and prayed for the swift recovery of those injured and displaced,” he said in a post on X.
He added that both sides discussed “the grave situation in the Gulf region” and agreed on “the urgent need for de-escalation, dialogue, and diplomacy.”
“I also underscored the importance of unity in the ranks of the Ummah and reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to playing a constructive role in advancing peace in the region,” Sharif said.
The outreach comes as Trump signalled a temporary pause in military escalation. Trump said he would delay his threat to strike Iran’s power infrastructure after “very good and productive” conversations with Tehran.
However, it remains unclear whether Pakistan’s mediation efforts are directly linked to Trump’s decision. Iran has denied direct negotiations with Washington. But its foreign ministry acknowledged receiving messages through intermediaries.
“Over the past few days, messages were received via certain friendly states conveying the US request for negotiations to end the war,” foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei told IRNA.
Analysts say the diplomatic push remains at an early stage. According to the Financial Times, officials described the efforts as preliminary messaging rather than a structured negotiation process.
–IANS
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