WASHINGTON, Jun 19 (APP)::U.S. President Donald Trump hosted Pakistan’s Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir at the White House on Wednesday, and said after the unprecedented meeting that he was “honoured” to meet him.
The lunch meeting was the first time a U.S. president had hosted the head of Pakistan’s army, highlighting Washington’s interest in boosting relations with Pakistan as regional tensions escalate.
According to reports, the two leaders discussed the ongoing Iran-Israel crisis among the issues that came up at the meeting.
“Well, they [Pakistan] know Iran very well, better than most, and they’re not happy about anything [Iran-Israel conflict],” Trump said in response to a question by a reporter after his meeting with Field Marshal Munir on whether Iran came up in the discussion.
“It’s not that they’re better with Israel. They [Pakistan] know them both actually, but they probably, maybe, know Iran better, but they [Pakistan] see what’s going on. And he [Field Marshal Asim Munir] agreed with me.”
Nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan engaged in their fiercest military conflict in decades between May 7-10, exchanging drones, missiles and artillery for nearly four days before Trump announced he had brokered a truce.
“The reason I had him [FM Munir] here, I wanted to thank him for not going into the war [with India], just, you know, ending the war,” Trump said, also giving credit to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “So, I was honoured to meet him [FM Munir] today.”
Tensions between Israel and Iran have spiked sharply since last Friday when Israeli forces struck multiple targets including Iranian nuclear sites and senior officials. Iran retaliated with attacks on Israeli territory, raising fears of a wider Middle East war that could threaten global energy supplies and regional stability.
Pakistan, which shares a long border with Iran and maintains historic ties with Tehran, has repeatedly called for de-escalation and a ceasefire in the region.