White House Pushed Pakistan For Weeks To Persuade Iranian Authorities For Ceasefire Deal

Last Updated:April 09, 2026, 12:13 IST

US quietly used Pakistan to broker a two week Iran ceasefire to reopen Hormuz, Trump halted planned strikes, talks will be held in Islamabad amid IRGC splits and regional attacks

The White House pushed Pakistan to help broker the temporary ceasefire with Iran even as US President Donald Trump publicly escalated threats against Tehran, according to people familiar with the talks cited by the Financial Times.

For weeks, the Trump administration pushed Islamabad to persuade Iranian authorities to agree to a pause in fighting that would include reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial global oil transit route.

Pakistan’s role as a Muslim-majority neighbour positioned it as a diplomatic intermediary capable of presenting the proposal as neutral, the report said.

According to the report, the back-channel efforts led by Pakistan’s military chief Field Marshal Asim Munir culminated on Tuesday night in the announcement by the United States, Iran and Israel of a two-week ceasefire.

The agreement came only hours after Trump warned he would destroy Iran’s “whole civilisation" if Tehran did not accept US terms.

The US President had been eager for a pause in hostilities amid concerns about rising oil prices and the resilience of the Iranian government despite weeks of bombardment, according to five people familiar with the Pakistan-led diplomatic effort, the report mentioned.

MUNIR HELD CALLS WITH TOP US OFFICIALS AS DEADLINE LOOMED

With Trump’s deadline approaching, Munir engaged in a series of calls with senior US officials, including Trump, Vice President JD Vance and special envoy Steve Witkoff, according to the report.

Pakistan positioned itself as a venue for negotiations and transmitted proposals between Washington and Tehran.

The discussions included a US-drafted 15-point proposal and Iran’s five-and 10-point responses.

Possible ceasefire durations ranging from 45 days to two weeks were considered as negotiators attempted to narrow differences.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif later publicised the proposal on social media after Munir spoke with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

The post briefly included the subject line “draft – Pakistan’s PM message on X," highlighting the hurried nature of diplomatic efforts.

Despite progress, divisions remained within Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which the Financial Times described as fractured, with some factions strongly opposed to ending the war or loosening control over the Strait of Hormuz.

TRUMP STEPPED BACK FROM STRIKES BEFORE DEADLINE

Trump pulled back from threats of devastating military strikes less than two hours before a deadline he had set for Tehran to accept an agreement or face attacks on bridges and power plants aimed at crippling Iranian “civilisation".

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council confirmed it had accepted the two-week ceasefire and would begin negotiations with the United States in Pakistan starting Friday.

However, neither Washington nor Tehran clarified when the ceasefire would formally begin, and attacks were reported across Israel, Iran and the Gulf region early Wednesday.

Israel supported the US-brokered ceasefire but indicated it does not apply to ongoing hostilities with Hezbollah in Lebanon, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

His office stated that Israel backed Trump’s decision to suspend strikes provided Iran immediately reopened the Strait of Hormuz and halted attacks on the United States, Israel and regional partners.

The ceasefire framework has been clouded by uncertainty surrounding Iran’s proposed 10-point plan.

The Farsi-language version referred to “acceptance of enrichment" related to Iran’s nuclear programme, while the phrase was absent in English-language versions shared with journalists.

INTERNAL DIVISIONS AND REGIONAL RISKS COULD THREATEN CEASEFIRE

According to the Financial Times, Iranian officials had agreed in principle to a ceasefire-for-Hormuz arrangement days earlier but struggled to secure final approval from the IRGC.

Some factions were reluctant to end the war, ease restrictions on the strait or return to negotiations with the United States.

The report mentioned that Islamabad has concerns about elements of Iran’s 10-point proposal, particularly provisions relating to Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz and the potential imposition of tolls.

One person familiar with the situation said China contributed to diplomatic pressure through a five-point plan announced with Pakistan last week, though there has been no public evidence that Beijing directly pressured Tehran to accept the agreement at the final stage.

NEGOTIATIONS EXPECTED IN ISLAMABAD AMID FEARS OF “SPOILERS"

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian confirmed during a call with Sharif that Tehran would send representatives to Islamabad for negotiations, the Financial Times reported.

Pakistani officials said they hoped Vance and Witkoff would attend talks alongside Araghchi, parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf and a senior IRGC representative.

Pakistani officials cautioned that “many spoilers" could still undermine the fragile ceasefire, particularly ongoing fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which Israeli officials said is not covered by the agreement.

AP reported that hardline demonstrators in Tehran reacted angrily to the ceasefire announcement, chanting “Death to America, death to Israel, death to compromisers!" while burning US and Israeli flags, underscoring domestic resistance to negotiations.

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