ISLAMABAD: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday publicly backed Pakistan’s role as a mediator in ongoing diplomacy between Washington and Tehran, dismissing suggestions that Islamabad should be replaced following criticism from influential Republican Senator Lindsey Graham.
The remarks came hours after Graham, one of Trump’s closest Republican allies on foreign policy, questioned whether Pakistan could remain a credible intermediary after a CBS News report alleged Iranian military aircraft had been moved to Pakistani air bases during the recent Iran-Israel-US conflict to shield them from potential American strikes following a ceasefire announcement. Pakistan has rejected the report.
More than one month after a tenuous ceasefire took effect, Washington and Tehran have made no progress on an agreement to permanently end hostilities.
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Tuesday, Trump was asked whether he was reconsidering Pakistan’s role in the talks.
“No, they’re great,” Trump said. “I think they’re great. The Pakistanis have been great. The Field Marshal [Army Chief Asim Munir] and the Prime Minister of Pakistan [Shehbaz Sharif] have been absolutely great.”
Speaking at a Senate hearing earlier on Tuesday, Graham said, “I don’t trust Pakistan as far as I can throw them,” adding that if the reports were true, “we should be looking maybe for somebody else to mediate.”
Pakistan has emerged in recent months as a key channel between Washington and Tehran amid efforts to contain a spiraling regional conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States that has destabilized the Gulf and disrupted global energy supplies through the Strait of Hormuz.
The first round of indirect US-Iran talks was held in Islamabad on April 11, after which Pakistan intensified shuttle diplomacy between the two sides. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi later visited Islamabad, while Pakistani officials have remained in contact with both Washington and Tehran.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif confirmed Pakistan had received Iran’s response to a US proposal and was continuing efforts aimed at securing a broader understanding between the two sides.
The mediation effort has elevated Pakistan’s diplomatic profile internationally but also exposed the delicate balance Islamabad is trying to maintain between its close security ties with Washington and its long border and strategic relationship with neighboring Iran.
Trump is due to discuss the war with China’s Xi Jinping during meetings in Beijing scheduled for Thursday to Friday, and is widely expected to encourage China to convince Tehran to make a deal with Washington to end the conflict.
US demands include ending Iran’s nuclear program and lifting its chokehold on the strait.
Iran has responded with demands of its own, including compensation for war damage, the lifting of the US blockade, and an end to the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, where US ally Israel is fighting the Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Trump dismissed those positions as “garbage” on Monday.
With additional inputs from Reuters
