Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif Urges Trump To Extend Iran Deadline As Warring Nations Agree For Ceasefire

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has urged US President Donald Trump to extend the deadline set for Iran amid the ongoing West Asia conflict, as it called for a two-week ceasefire to allow diplomatic efforts to progress.

In a social media post on Tuesday, Sharif also asked Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz for two weeks. The prime minister's appeal came just hours before the expiry of Trump's 8 pm ET deadline, with the US president warning of intensified strikes on Iranian infrastructure if Tehran failed to make a deal with Washington and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump on Monday threatened that a "whole civilisation will die" if Iran fails to meet his deadline. In the social media post, Sharif said diplomatic efforts aimed at the peaceful settlement of the ongoing war in West Asia are "progressing steadily, strongly and powerfully" and have the potential to yield substantive results in the near future.

"To allow diplomacy to run its course, I earnestly request President Trump to extend the deadline for two weeks," he said. Sharif also appealed to Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz for a corresponding period as a goodwill gesture and urged all warring parties to observe a ceasefire across the region during this time. The proposed pause in hostilities, he said, would "allow diplomacy to achieve conclusive termination of war, in the interest of long-term peace and stability in the region".

Earlier on Tuesday, Pakistan's top civil and military leadership condemned the Iranian attacks on energy facilities in the eastern region of Saudi Arabia, calling it a "dangerous escalation" that undermines regional peace and stability. Pakistan has projected itself as a mediator in the peace process between Tehran and Washington and bring an end to the ongoing hostilities in West Asia, which began after the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28. In retaliation, Iran curtailed much of the maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, triggering a global fuel supply crisis.

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world's most important oil transit chokepoints, with a significant portion of global crude shipments passing through it daily. Any disruption in this route can have immediate and far-reaching impacts on global energy markets.