Pakistan bridging East and West

Pakistanis incredible mediators: White house

WASHINGTON: Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks to reporters at White House on Wednesday.

Washington  –  Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, along with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and a high-level delegation, arrived in Tehran on Wednesday.

The visit is part of the ongoing mediation efforts between US and Iran, says a press release issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations.  US President Donald Trump said the war he launched with Israel on Iran was close to over, as the army chief of mediator Pakistan arrived in Tehran to try to prevent a renewal of the conflict.

The diplomatic push came as US and Iranian officials weighed a return to Pakistan for further talks after negotiations there ended on Sunday without a breakthrough. A senior Iranian source told Reuters that Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir, who had mediated the last round of talks, was heading to Iran “to narrow gaps” between the two sides.

“I think you’re going to be watching an amazing two days ahead,” Trump told ABC News reporter Jonathan Karl, according to a post by the reporter on X, adding he did not think it would be necessary to extend the ceasefire.

“I think it’s close to over, yeah. I mean I view it as very close to over,” Trump said in an interview on Fox Business Network conducted Tuesday and broadcast Wednesday. “We’ll see what happens. I think they want to make a deal very badly.” Officials from Pakistan, Iran and Gulf states also said both sides could return to Islamabad in coming days.

The talks last weekend broke down without an agreement to end the war, which Trump began alongside Israel on February 28, triggering Iranian attacks on Iran’s Gulf neighbours and reigniting a conflict between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Trump’s optimism lifted global stocks towards record highs. Oil prices were slightly up at around $95 per barrel after the U.S. said its blockade of Iranian ports had halted seaborne trade in and out of Iran.

Finance ministers from almost a dozen countries led by Britain called on the U.S., Israel and Iran to implement their in full and said the conflict would weigh on the global economy and markets even if it was resolved soon.

On Wednesday, a senior official said that the US had yet to formally agree to extend the ceasefire, but that “engagement” between the sides is continuing as negotiators seek to extend the truce.

Before the ceasefire expires, mediators are pushing for a compromise on three main sticking points that derailed direct talks last weekend — Iran’s nuclear program, the Strait of Hormuz and compensation for wartime damages, according to a regional official who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss the mediation efforts.

The Axios outlet reported, citing US officials, that negotiators were getting closer to a framework deal to end the war. If such a deal is reached, the ceasefire would be extended to provide time to work out the details, sources told the outlet.

“They were on the phone and backchanneling with all the countries and they are getting closer,” a US official told Axios regarding talks on Tuesday.

Reports that the White House has requested a ceasefire in the Iran war are wrong, press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Wednesday but added that discussions about a second round of talks with the Iranians were ongoing and productive.

Speaking at a White House press briefing, Leavitt said any fresh talks would likely be in Pakistan again as it has emerged as the “only mediator” in the effort to end the US-Israeli war on Iran.

“These conversations are productive and ongoing, and that’s where we are right now. I’ve also seen some reporting about the potentiality for in-person discussions. Again, those discussions are being had, but nothing is official until you hear it from us here at the White House, but we feel good ⁠about the prospects of a deal,” Leavitt said.

The talks last weekend broke down without an agreement to end the war, which President Donald Trump began alongside Israel on February 28, triggering Iranian attacks on Iran’s Gulf neighbors and reigniting a conflict between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Also Karoline Leavitt praised Pakistan says “I just want to make one point that’s important to the President. The Pakistanis have been incredible mediators throughout this process and we really appreciate their friendship and their efforts to bring this deal to a close!” “So they are the only mediator in this negotiation while there have been many countries around the world who want to offer their help.” “The President feels it’s important to continue to streamline this communication through the Pakistanis and so that’s what continues to take place.”

When Leavitt asked about the Iran ceasefire, she said that reports the US has asked to formally extend it are “not true”. “We remain very much engaged in these talks,” she says, and conversations are “productive and ongoing”.

On reports that there are in-person talks being planned, she said “those discussions are being had but nothing is official until you here it from us here at the White House”. 

“We feel good about the prospects of a deal”, Leavitt said, adding that it’s “in the best interests of Iran” to meet Trump’s demands – which she says he’s made “very clear”. 

If talks happen, they would “very likely” be in the same place they were last time – Islamabad – she said. 

A reporter asked Leavitt how long the US navy blockade of Iranian ports will go on. She said she will “never set timelines on behalf of the president”, but notes that the operation has now been fully implemented. 

The blockade is being enforced against vessels of all nations that are entering or departing Iranian ports, she added. For vessels transiting the strait outside of the ports, US forces are supporting freedom of navigation, she adds.