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Trump says he may visit Pakistan even as Iran war nears end
Trump's comments came before his subsequent claims that a breakthrough had been reached with Iran that will see the Hormuz strait “completely open”.
On Thursday, US President Donald Trump said he will consider visiting Pakistan if peace talks with Iran yielded a deal.
“I would go to Pakistan. Pakistan has been great. They’ve been so good. If a deal is signed in Islamabad, I might go. The Field Marshal has been great. The Prime Minister has been really great,” Trump told reporters in Washington DC.
His comments came before his subsequent claims on Truth Social on Friday that a breakthrough had been reached with Iran that will see the Strait of Hormuz “completely open”.
“The Strait of Hormuz is completely open and ready for business and full passage, but the naval blockade will remain in full force and effect as it pertains to Iran, only, until such time as our transaction with Iran is 100% complete. This process should go very quickly in that most of the points are already negotiated. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump said. In addition, Trump stated that Iran was in the process of removing sea mines from waterways. The American leader also stated that Israel will cease bombing Lebanon, which had been a key Iranian demand in peace talks with Washington.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed that the Strait of Hormuz would be “completely open” for commercial vessels.
“In line with the ceasefire in Lebanon, the passage for all commercial vessels through Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open for the remaining period of ceasefire, on the coordinated route as already announced by Ports and Maritime Organisation of the Islamic Rep. of Iran,” Araghchi said in a post on X.
Also Read: Iran says Strait of Hormuz open for all commercial vessels, Trump reacts
Energy markets responded sharply to Trump’s statement on the Hormuz Strait, with the cost of a barrel of Brent crude falling to below $90 a barrel, after an extended period of price volatility. US stock market indices also rallied with the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) rising by 2% after the announcement.
An earlier round of US-Iran talks hosted by Pakistan last week fell through amid disagreements over the restrictions Iran would accept to its nuclear weapons program. Vice President JD Vance, who participated in the talks, stated that Washington and Tehran had made significant progress in their negotiations, which stretched on for 21 hours. In the week since, President Trump ordered a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz in an attempt to increase financial pressure on Iran’s energy exports. The US Treasury Department announced on Wednesday that it would not renew a general license allowing purchases of Iranian energy that is set to expire on April 19. Trump even floated the possibility of renewed hostilities if peace talks did not yield a result.
After announcing a set of breakthroughs with Iran on Friday, Trump thanked Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, referring to them as “two fantastic people”.
Analysts see Pakistan's role through multiple prisms.
“As far as how Washington perceives Pakistan's role, I think it's appreciative. This isn't the first time Pakistan has played an intermediary role between the United States and other countries. There is some historical precedent for that, although the circumstances were a bit different,” said Anthony Renzulli, Managing Director at DGA-Albright Stonebridge Group and a former diplomat who served in Islamabad and handled the India portfolio at the National Security Council.
“So I don't know if it will come off the way President Trump has hinted it might, but if it were to happen, it would be significant for Pakistan, but perhaps for all of us as well,” he added.
Sameer Lalwani, senior fellow in the Indo-Pacific program at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, said the Pakistani leadership's “agile shuttle diplomacy” has been “surprising but undeniable”.
“Pakistan is not merely serving as a passive conduit for communication between the United States and Iran; it is actively trying to shape the diplomacy and help bring the conflict to an end,” Lalwani said.
"Pakistan is receiving praise for these efforts, but the risks of blowback remain serious. It is still unclear whether Washington and Tehran (and their respective partners) have agreed on the terms of a durable cessation of hostilities or have accurately assessed each other’s relative power and resolve. Nor is it clear that either side can be credibly assured the other will not back away from an agreement or resume the conflict," he further said.
A successful peace deal, he said, could lead to reduced shocks to energy and commodity prices as well as maritime shipping, which also helps India.
"Over the medium term, successful diplomacy would further enhance Pakistan’s standing and perceived value in the eyes of the US government," Lalwani further added. “That credibility could potentially be converted into more tangible gains, including support for loans, investment, trade, and other economic arrangements, either directly from the United States or, more plausibly, indirectly through the Gulf states. From a zero-sum perspective, this outcome might appear negative for India. But it is worth considering an alternative possibility: if Pakistan, and especially its military leadership, begins to see sustained rewards from playing the role of a constructive peacemaker through diplomacy and economics, that shift could positively affect regional stability.” Lalwani added.
