World news from The Thursday Times' foreign desk.
Donald Trump has said fresh US-Iran talks in Islamabad could take place within days, reinforcing Pakistan’s growing role as a mediator. Why, he says? "Because the Field Marshal is doing a great job."
Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi backed Pakistan’s role in the US-Iran Islamabad Talks during a call with Shehbaz Sharif. She emphasised de-escalation and the urgent need to ensure safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi discussed the US-Iran negotiations held in Islamabad, with Beijing praising Pakistan’s efforts to promote regional stability.
Pakistan said it was still making a full diplomatic push to ease tensions between the United States and Iran after marathon talks in Islamabad ended without agreement, underscoring Islamabad’s bid to keep a fragile mediation effort from unravelling.
Donald Trump praised Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir as “very extraordinary men” after being briefed on the marathon U.S.-Iran talks in Islamabad, placing Pakistan’s leadership at the centre of a major diplomatic moment.
Donald Trump has said that he expects Iran to return to the negotiating table and “give us everything we want,” reinforcing a maximalist U.S. position after high-level talks in Islamabad ended without a deal.
Iran leaves the door open after Islamabad, but says the United States must now earn its trust. Tehran says the talks were serious, while Pakistan played a central role in keeping the diplomatic channel alive, and Washington must now prove it can turn dialogue into trust.
Saudi Arabia said a Pakistani military force, including fighter and support aircraft, has arrived at King Abdulaziz Air Base under a bilateral defence pact, a deployment that underscores expanding security coordination between the two countries.
Senior Indian Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has said India should welcome, not resent, Pakistan’s role in helping secure a US–Iran ceasefire, arguing that peace in the region is not a zero-sum outcome.
Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by U.S.-based advocacy group Sikhs for Justice, crediting him with containing escalation during the recent U.S.-Iran crisis.
