Trump credits Pakistan’s mediation for landmark U.S.-Iran peace deal

WASHINGTON, Jun 20 (APP): President Donald Trump has credited Pakistan with “really helping” the United States secure a peace deal with Iran, which took effect this week following weeks of Pakistani-mediated talks.

In an interview with Axios, an American media outlet, Trump stated that Pakistani leaders leveraged their deep familiarity with Iranian counterparts, playing a vital role in a complex negotiation process which often involved difficult decisions by both sides.

“But they really helped us with this deal. They knew the Iranians. They knew the people. They were good,” he said while lauding Pakistani leaders.

The president was responding to a question about the world leaders in terms of their leverage. Trump said there are different kinds of leaders in the world, naming Chinese President Xi Jinping among others whom he called great leaders.

“In Pakistan, you have Field Marshal (Asim) Munir, who is great, and you have the prime minister (Shehbaz Sharif), and they just get along great,” he said, continuing his reply to the question.

“The military guy,” Trump added, “totally respects the prime minister. It’s a beautiful thing to see.”

The agreement has been named the “Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding” in recognition of Pakistan’s role in facilitating negotiations through several uncertain phases since April.

In addition to helping broker the first ceasefire between Washington and Tehran on April 7, Pakistan hosted the first round of talks between the two sides on April 11.

The meeting marked the first high-level face-to-face engagement between U.S. and Iranian officials since the 1979 Islamic Revolution severely disrupted relations between the two countries.

The conflict erupted on February 28, when the U.S. and Israel launched coordinated strikes against Iran.

In retaliation, Tehran unleashed a barrage of strikes on its energy-rich Gulf neighbours, accusing them of facilitating the U.S. attacks.

The conflict toppled the energy markets as oil and gas shipments through the Strait of Hormuz stalled for several months.

Under the 14-point agreement, the United States has lifted its naval blockade of Iranian ports and Tehran has also allowed ships to transit through the key waterway.

Next, the two sides will next hold more negotiations over 60 days to address the issue over Iran’s nuclear stockpile.

Meanwhile, Israeli aggressive actions in Lebanon continue to pose major challenge to the follow-up negotiations.