How Pakistan secured ‘biggest diplomatic win in years’ with Iran ceasefire | US-Israel war on Iran

P.Akistan’s leaders had almost given up hope. After more than two weeks of frantic negotiations, phone calls and diplomatic summits aimed at ending the US-Israeli war with Iran, the conflict appeared to be turning into Islamabad’s worst nightmare.

At the cabinet meeting held around 5pm on Tuesday, Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif was glum. “We must prepare ourselves against the impact of war,” he told cabinet ministers. “The situation has become very bleak indeed. The chances of peace have diminished.”

Earlier that day, hope for a ceasefire appeared to have faded. Israeli strikes devastated a gas facility in Iran, and Iranian strikes hit a critical petrochemical complex in Saudi Arabia; This raised fears that it would bring the Gulf country closer to joining the war. Pakistan’s top military officials, angered by what they saw as a “dangerous escalation”, issued an unusually harsh public statement against Tehran, accusing it of “subverting” peace efforts.

Meanwhile, in Washington, Donald Trump’s rhetoric rose to new levels of hysteria, threatening that Iran’s “entire civilization will die tonight” (including the bombing of power plants and bridges) if they did not agree to ceasefire demands set by the end of the day.

For Pakistan’s government and military, the country’s de facto rulers, helping broker an end to the war was not just a matter of prestige; Its economy, defense, national security and sectarian harmony depended on it. The newly signed defense agreement with Saudi Arabia meant that if Riyadh chose to go to war, they too would be dragged into war. “We were in a very fragile situation and desperate to start negotiations,” a Pakistani official said.

Behind the scenes, the powerful chief of general staff Asim Munir and the head of the country’s army intelligence and national security adviser Asim Malik continued to work on the phones. Munir was in a uniquely advantageous position as a peace broker, having both a strong personal rapport with Trump and a long-standing relationship with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.

In a typically bullish press conference at the White House on Wednesday, US defense secretary Pete Hegseth would later claim that Iran was “begging” for a ceasefire.

However, Pakistani officials have a different version of the incident. They said both sides wanted the hostilities to end, but the ceasefire request came primarily from Trump, who was “trapped” in a war he thought “could not last more than three days.”

For several hours, the calls went back and forth, involving Munir and Malik, as well as senior Iranian ministers, including Trump, secretary of state Marco Rubio, vice president J.D. Vance and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff on the one hand, and Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and foreign minister Abbas Araghchi on the other. Sharif also called on the Iranian side and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

By all accounts, Iran remained “reluctant” to commit to any ceasefire until Tuesday evening, showing little confidence that the Trump administration was not using the talks as cover for the US and Israel to regroup and strike again.

But officials said this time a new key player with significant influence over the Iranians was involved: China, which had previously been “reluctant” to get involved in a complex war that had visibly weakened Trump, was quietly pursuing a different path as the war’s impact on its own economy grew.

Just over a week ago, Pakistani foreign minister Ishaq Dar had flown to Beijing to discuss ways to secure peace in the Middle East and seek a greater commitment from China to help end the conflict.

In a marked twist, Pakistani officials claimed China had been persuaded by “friendly countries” to make a significant move into Tuesday’s talks. “Pakistan had to involve China to convince Iran for a ceasefire,” an official said.

Towards 20:00 in the evening, Sharif held a much more optimistic meeting with his cabinet. “A glimmer of hope has emerged for negotiations and a ceasefire,” he said, adding that Munir had initiated a breakthrough.

By all accounts, China has promised to act as the guarantor of Iran’s security in any negotiations, directly encouraging Iran to accept the ceasefire. Among the assurances offered by China was that Iranian leaders would not be assassinated if they traveled for negotiations.

“We were mediators, not guarantors,” a Pakistani official said. “China played the main role. They became the guarantors of the ceasefire and promised that the United States would abide by the agreement and that the talks in Islamabad would proceed smoothly. They told Iran to accept this agreement.”

Pakistani officials claimed that the United States was aware of China’s intervention and was happy with it. Trump later appeared to confirm that statement in an interview, in which he said he believed China had persuaded Iran to negotiate.

At 4 a.m. in Islamabad, something that seemed impossible had been achieved. Both the United States and Iran agreed to a temporary and fragile ceasefire agreement. Michael Kugelman, the Atlantic Council’s South Asia fellow, called it Pakistan’s “biggest diplomatic victory in years.”

On Wednesday, Sharif praised the ceasefire as a “brilliant moment” in Pakistan’s history and a “first step” towards peace. He promised that peace talks involving both the United States and Iran will continue in Islamabad on Friday, with visible preparations being made to hold them at the city’s Serena hotel. An Iranian source confirmed that Tehran intends to send Galibaf and Araghchi as negotiators.

Pakistani officials have privately expressed fears that Israel and the United Arab Emirates may still try to “sabotage” the peace process, especially as Israel says Lebanon is not part of the ceasefire agreement and trade through the Strait of Hormuz is largely blocked.

Kugelman said Pakistan “defied many skeptics and naysayers who thought it did not have the capacity to pull off such a complex and risky feat,” adding: “The most important thing is that it helps prevent a potential disaster in Iran.”