Pakistan urges Trump to extend Iran ‘deadline’ by 2 weeks

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday urged US President Donald Trump to extend his deadline for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz by two weeks to "allow diplomacy to run its course."

"Diplomatic efforts for a peaceful settlement of the ongoing war in the Middle East are progressing steadily, strongly and effectively, with the potential to lead to substantive results in the near future. To allow diplomacy to run its course, I earnestly request President Trump to extend the deadline by two weeks," Sharif said in a post on US social media platform X.

"Pakistan, in all sincerity, requests its Iranian counterparts to open the Strait of Hormuz for a corresponding period of two weeks as a goodwill gesture," he added.

Sharif also urged all warring parties to observe a cease-fire across the region for two weeks to "allow diplomacy to achieve a conclusive end to the war, in the interest of long-term peace and stability in the region."

It comes hours before the end of Trump's deadline that "a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again" — remarks that fueled speculation as his 8 p.m. Eastern Time (0000 GMT Wednesday) deadline for Iran approaches.

Islamabad is facilitating indirect talks between the US and Iran to end the Middle East conflict.