ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday urged President Donald Trump to extend his deadline for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz by two weeks, saying diplomatic efforts for a settlement of the United States-Israeli war on Iran were “progressing steadily.”
Trump gave Iran until 8pm EDT (0000 GMT) in Washington, or 3:30am in Tehran, to end its blockade of Gulf oil or see the US destroy every bridge and power plant in Iran.
In a post on X, Sharif urged “all warring parties” to observe a ceasefire for two weeks “to allow diplomacy to achieve conclusive termination of war.”
“I earnestly request President Trump to extend the deadline for two weeks. Pakistan, in all sincerity, requests the Iranian brothers to open Strait of Hormuz for a corresponding period of two weeks as a goodwill gesture,” he said on X.
“We also urge all warring parties to observe a ceasefire everywhere for two weeks to allow diplomacy to achieve conclusive termination of war, in the interest of long-term peace and stability in the region.”
Pakistan has served as a go-between for messages passed between Iranian and US officials since the beginning of the war, which has disrupted global energy and cargo supplies and threatened regional economies.
Trump is aware of Pakistan’s proposal for a two-week extension to a deadline he imposed on Iran, and a response will come, Reuters quoted White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt as saying.
“The President has been made aware of the proposal, and a response will come,” Leavitt said.
Iran is positively reviewing Pakistan’s request for a two-week ceasefire, a senior Iranian official told Reuters.
Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, where roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passes through via ships, in response to the US and Israeli attacks which began on Feb. 28.
The blockade has driven global oil prices higher, pushing countries such as Pakistan to undertake measures to conserve fuel and demand an immediate ceasefire to the ongoing war.
Sharif’s request for extension came after Trump once again exhorted Iran to make a deal by his deadline.
“A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will,” the US president said in a post on Truth Social.
“We will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World.”
