In a last-minute endgame, the United States and Iran reached a two-week ceasefire after President Trump had threatened to “wipe out the entire Iranian civilization.”
The decisive role was played by Pakistan, the main mediator, and China, which with a last minute intervention convinced Tehran to accept Islamabad’s proposal. As noted by the New York Times and the Financial Times, Iran welcomed the Pakistani plan after “frantic diplomatic efforts” by Islamabad and “the intervention of China, its key ally.” The result: temporary reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, halt to attacks, and start of talks in Islamabad.
HOW THE CEASEFIRE BETWEEN THE US AND IRAN CAME ABOUT
Tuesday evening, just minutes before the deadline set by Trump at 8:00 PM, the announcement came.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif declared on X that the ceasefire was “EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY.” Shortly after, Trump confirmed the agreement via social media, citing “conversations” with Sharif and Pakistan’s army chief, General Asim Munir.
As reported by the Associated Press, the Pakistani premier had asked Trump to extend the two-week deadline to allow diplomacy to advance, while simultaneously asking Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz.
Tehran agreed: Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced the end of “defensive operations” and the safe passage of ships for two weeks, coordinated with Iranian forces.
Israel gave its conditional support, while excluding Lebanon from the ceasefire, contrary to a previous statement by Sharif.
THE ROLE OF PAKISTAN, A KEY MEDIATOR BETWEEN THE US AND IRAN
Pakistan emerged as the key actor in the mediation.
As Bloomberg writes, Islamabad leveraged its “close ties with the White House” and its position as a country with good relations with both Iran and the Gulf States.
Sharif and Munir passed messages between the two parties for weeks, acting as a “communication channel.” The premier invited US and Iranian delegations to direct talks in Islamabad as early as Friday.
Araghchi publicly thanked the “dear brothers” Sharif and Munir for their “tireless efforts.”
For Michael Kugelman of the Atlantic Council, cited by Bloomberg, this is “a major diplomatic coup for Pakistan, one of its biggest foreign policy successes in decades.”
Also, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty highlights that Islamabad hosted a quadrilateral summit with Turkey, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia precisely to push towards negotiations.
THE ROLE OF CHINA IN THE MEDIATION BETWEEN THE US AND IRAN
On March 31, after the meeting in Beijing between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar, China and Pakistan launched a joint peace initiative.
As reported by Axios and Al Jazeera, the five-point plan they developed includes: immediate ceasefire, rapid start of negotiations, protection of civilian and nuclear infrastructure, safe passage of commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz, and a comprehensive peace agreement based on the UN Charter.
Dar described the initiative as “balanced” and “one that everyone can approve.” China, Iran’s main trading partner and its largest oil buyer, exerted decisive influence.
As the BBC points out, Beijing made 26 calls with the parties involved and pushed for de-escalation to protect its energy security and global economic stability.
BEIJING’S DECISIVE INTERVENTION AND TRUMP’S RECOGNITION
According to three Iranian officials cited by the New York Times, Iran accepted the Pakistani proposal only after “China’s last-minute intervention.”
Trump himself acknowledged Beijing’s contribution: “I hear yes” when asked if China had helped bring Tehran to the table.
As reported by Bloomberg, China asked Iran to show flexibility. For analysts cited by Al Jazeera, Beijing acted to protect its interests: 45-50% of its oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz and the war threatened the Belt and Road Initiative and investments in the CPEC in Pakistan.
The BBC notes that this is a shift for China, previously more cautious, now intending to present itself as a global “pacemaker.”
ANALYSIS AND COMMENTS
For Pakistan, this represents a “repositioning from a peripheral actor to a credible intermediary,” as stated by Farwa Aamer of the Asia Society Policy Institute cited by Bloomberg.
For China, the operation strengthens its image as a responsible power and contrasts with the US approach. As the BBC observes, Beijing demonstrates it can influence the region without military guarantees, but through economic ties and coordination with Pakistan.
A historical precedent, recalls Bloomberg, is Pakistan’s role in 1971 for Nixon’s US-China opening. Now Islamabad and Beijing have written a new chapter: diplomacy has stopped, at least for two weeks, a war that risked igniting the Middle East.
