People rally during a memorial held 40 days after a deadly U.S.-Israeli strike on a children's school in the southern city of Minab on the first day of the war that killed at least 165 people, most of them children, in Tehran on April 7, 2026. (Photo: AFP)
Pakistan's prime minister, who is playing a key mediating role in the ongoing war in the Middle East, urged U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday to extend his deadline for massive strikes on Iran by two weeks.
In the same post on X, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also urged Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz — a vital conduit for the world's oil and gas supply — "for a corresponding period of two weeks as a goodwill gesture."
The appeal came hours ahead of a deadline set by Trump to carry out the "complete demolition" of Iran's critical infrastructure, particularly bridges and power plants, if a deal was not reached by midnight GMT.
A key U.S. demand of Tehran has been the reopening of the strait which has been virtually closed since U.S.-Israeli offensive began on Feb. 28.
In response to Sharif's social post, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told AFP: "The President has been made been aware of the proposal, and a response will come."
Earlier Tuesday in Washington, the US leader had ramped up his rhetoric further, warning "a whole civilization will die" if the Islamic republic did not heed the warning.
Pakistan has emerged as a channel for messaging between Tehran and Washington, seeking to mediate to prevent the Middle East war from escalating further.
"Diplomatic efforts for peaceful settlement of the ongoing war in the Middle East are progressing steadily, strongly and powerfully with the potential to lead to substantive results in near future," Sharif said in his post published in the early hours of Wednesday in Pakistan — mid-afternoon in Washington.
"To allow diplomacy to run its course, I earnestly request President Trump to extend the deadline for two weeks," he said.
The Pakistani leader further called on "all warring parties to observe a cease-fire 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."
Islamabad has said it is ready to host "meaningful talks" between the United States and Iran.
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