Close to Trump: the giant Muslim country that brought the war to an end

In recent days, Pakistan has become one of the most important regional players, with the management of the negotiation contacts between the US and Iran. After it succeeded in bringing about a ceasefire in the war – the giant Muslim country, which possesses nuclear weapons, is expected to host the negotiation talks and determine its important geopolitical achievement, and its position as one of the most important countries in the region.

As the world prepared for the worst-case scenario, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif publicly called on both sides to agree to a ceasefire to allow more time to achieve a permanent end to the war. The move, which caused US stocks to recover, paved the way for Trump’s announcement a few hours later that he would stop the fighting following talks with Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, Pakistan’s army chief and who is considered the most powerful man in the country in practice.

Soon after, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi praised Sharif and Mounir’s role in brokering the talks. In a social media post confirming the agreement, Arakchi expressed “thanks and appreciation to my dear brothers” for their “tireless efforts to end the war in the region.”

Pakistan is completing a dream year in managing the country’s foreign relations – with real achievements in the dramatic military confrontation with India in May 2025, strengthening relations with important countries such as China, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, getting closer to US President Donald Trump – and the record in managing contacts to end the war in Iran.

Despite the extensive public involvement of the Prime Minister of Pakistan Shahbaz Sharif, the one who actually conducts the talks, the contacts and also controls Pakistan de facto is the army chief Asim Munir. Munir himself met with Trump at the White House in recent months, and discussed with him, among other things, the peace plan in Gaza, and in recent months he also won the promotion of legislation in the Pakistani parliament that ensures his continued practical control of the country.

After the brief confrontation with India last May, Pakistan supported Trump’s efforts to mediate a peace agreement between the countries and even recommended him for the Nobel Peace Prize, in contrast to India which clarified that it was a “conflict between the two countries” and Prime Minister Modi said that the US had nothing to do with it. As part of Munir’s recent visits to Washington, Trump called him “my favorite field marshal”.

Pakistan has historically warm ties with Iran and the Gulf states that have been affected by Tehran’s regional attacks and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. In addition, it has a defense agreement with Saudi Arabia that they signed last year, and it sought to prevent a deterioration that would drag itself into a conflict.

Beyond the geopolitical considerations, Pakistan also has clear economic interests: the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz disrupted the global energy supply and left it vulnerable, due to its dependence on the import of oil and liquid natural gas coming from the Gulf and passing through this maritime route.

Even before the ceasefire agreement, Iran had already agreed to allow safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz “in coordination with its armed forces”, allowing 20 Pakistani vessels to pass. At the same time, Pakistan appealed to global commodity traders to explore the possibility of vessels transiting the strait under a Pakistani flag temporarily.

The agreement took on added importance after Pakistan recently failed to reach an agreement with the United Arab Emirates on a $3 billion loan extension – damaging about 12 percent of its balances and putting pressure on the local currency. index KSE-100 The local currency has decreased by about 13% since the beginning of the year, and interruptions in the energy supply have contributed to the increase in inflation.

Recent developments have hampered Pakistan’s economic recovery process. Economists expected a second year of growth after contraction in 2023, and the local currency has remained relatively stable in recent years thanks to aid from friendly countries such as China, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Last week, Pakistan canceled a general fuel subsidy and raised the prices of diesel and gasoline for the first time in about a month, to deal with the increase in oil prices. Now, with the ceasefire, Pakistan is trying to both reduce economic pressure and leverage its new geopolitical position.

According to a report in the New York Times, Iran agreed to the cease-fire proposal following a last-minute intervention by China, which asked it to show flexibility and reduce tensions. Trump told the news agency AFP Because he believes that China was involved in obtaining the Iranian agreement to a truce, against the background of his visit to China and his meeting with President Xi Jinping in mid-May.

Since the start of the conflict, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has held 26 phone calls with various parties, including Iran, Israel, Russia and the Gulf states, officials in Beijing told Bloomberg. Last week, China and Pakistan published a five-point initiative that called for an immediate ceasefire and the maintenance of freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

According to estimates, China, Russia and possibly other countries that are members of the UN Security Council will be involved in the future talks. Chinese involvement may make it difficult for the US and Israel to take military action against Iran in the future, against the background of efforts to advance the negotiations.