Shehbaz Sharif, the prime minister of Pakistan, proposed a two-week ceasefire with Iran to give time for more peace talks.
"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 wrote on social media.
"To allow diplomacy to run its course, I earnestly request President [Donald] Trump to extend the deadline for two weeks," Sharif added. "Pakistan, in all sincerity, requests the Iranian brothers to open Strait of Hormuz for a corresponding period of two weeks as a goodwill gesture."
"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," Sharif continued.
Trump said in an interview he was in heated negotiations with Iran, ahead of his 8 p.m. deadline where he threatened to bomb the country's civilian infrastructure.
Trump said in the interview he was about to be fully briefed on Sharif's proposal.
"I can say this — that I know him very well. He's a highly respected man, all over," Trump said in the interview.
Negotiations between the U.S. and Iran have made progress over the last 24 hours, Axios reported. Pakistan has been the primary mediator between the U.S. and Iran over the last several weeks, the outlet reported.
Trump threatened Tuesday that a "whole civilization will die tonight" if Iran fails to meet his latest deadline to strike a deal that includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Trump said the deadline is final and will expire at 8 p.m. EDT without a major diplomatic breakthrough.
"A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don't want that to happen, but it probably will," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
"However, now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS?" he continued.
"We will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World. 47 years of extortion, corruption, and death, will finally end. God Bless the Great People of Iran!" Trump concluded.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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