ISLAMABAD (Reuters) : President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Pakistan had asked the United States (US) not to militarily engage Iran during negotiations to end their war, following an exchange of fire between the two sides in the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump said a ceasefire with Iran was still in place despite an Iranian attack on three American destroyers. The US military said it had carried out strikes on Iranian military targets in response, although Tehran charged that it was Washington that had initiated the exchange of fire.
The latest violence threatened the fragile truce in effect since April 8 that brought an end to weeks of US-Israeli attacks on the Islamic republic, which has retaliated with strikes across the Middle East and by blocking the strait, a vital route for global oil and gas shipments.
Speaking to reporters in Washington, Trump said talks between the US and Iran were “going well” and that Tehran wanted to sign a peace agreement “a lot more than I do,” praising the Pakistani civilian and military leaders for their mediation in the conflict.
“As you know, Pakistan has been fantastic. And their leaders have been fantastic, the field marshal and the prime minister, and they asked us not to do it. We’ll go back to it if we have to. They asked us not to do it during the negotiation,” the US president said, when asked why the US suspended ‘Project Freedom’ to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The US announced the Project Freedom military operation on May 4 to escort merchant ships in response to Iranian attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, but soon suspended it.
Iran has effectively maintained a stranglehold on the strait, a key waterway for global energy and cargo supplies, since the US and Israel launched their war on Iran on Feb. 28. The US last month imposed a counter-blockade on Iranian ports.
On Thursday, Tehran said it was examining the latest US proposals for ending the war.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said the Islamic republic was reviewing messages from Pakistan, but Iran “has not yet reached a conclusion, and no response has been given to the US side,” Iranian state TV reported.
The ceasefire between the US and Iran has largely held since April 8. In-person talks between the two countries, hosted by Pakistan last month, failed to reach an agreement to end the war.
“We’re not going to give them the right to have a nuclear weapon. There’s zero chance. And they know that. And they’ve agreed to that,” Trump told reporters.
Separately, Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar spoke by phone Thursday with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, the Pakistani foreign ministry said.
“We expect an agreement sooner rather than later,” Pakistani foreign ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said.
“We hope the parties will reach a peaceful and sustainable solution that will contribute not only to peace in our region but to international peace as well.”
He declined to give a timeline.
