The US President's support came after his close aide disparaged Pakistan's diplomacy.
US President Donald Trump backed Pakistan and its role as a mediator with Iran after a close ally, Senator Lindsey Graham, questioned whether Islamabad can still be trusted as a mediator between Washington and Tehran.
“They’re great. I think the Pakistanis have been great. The field marshal and the prime minister of Pakistan have been absolutely great,” Trump told reporters, adding that he is not reconsidering Pakistan as a mediator.
Speaking during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, Graham pointed out that Pakistan protected Iranian military assets by sheltering Iranian aircraft in its bases, while Islamabad was playing the role of mediator between Tehran and Washington.
“I don’t trust Pakistan as far as I can throw them. If they actually do have Iranian aircraft parked in Pakistan bases to protect Iranian military assets, that tells me we should be looking maybe for somebody else to mediate. No wonder this damn thing is going nowhere," the Senator said.
CBS News has reported that days after President Trump announced the ceasefire with Iran in early April, Tehran sent multiple aircraft to the Nur Khan Airbase near Rawalpindi.
Islamabad's standpoint
Pakistan has rejected the report and said it was “misleading and sensationalized". In a statement, the Foreign Office said that the Iranian aircraft currently parked in the country arrived during the ceasefire period following the initial round of US-Iran peace talks and bears “no linkage" to any military contingency or preservation arrangement. “Such speculative narratives appear aimed at undermining ongoing efforts for regional stability and peace," it said.
China urges Pakistan to ease Hormuz tensionsChinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar to step up mediation efforts between Iran and the US, and help to "properly" address the reopening of the Hormuz Strait. "China will continue to support Pakistan's mediation efforts and make its own contribution toward this end," Wang said, according to Xinhua. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has said there was “no need to rush" negotiations with Iran. “We don’t have to rush anything. We have a blockade that allows them no money." |
