The White House had prior knowledge of Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s social media post proposing a ceasefire between the US and Iran before it was made public, The New York Times reported, indicating
backchannel coordination as President Donald Trump’s deadline for Tehran approached. Follow Live Updates Here
Sharif had posted on X on Tuesday afternoon that diplomacy was “progressing steadily, strongly and powerfully” and urged Trump to extend his 8 pm deadline by two weeks, tagging the US President and his top aides.
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The development suggests that even as Trump issued strong warnings, including threats of large-scale escalation if Iran failed to act, US officials were actively working to find a diplomatic off-ramp.
A White House official denied speculation that Trump himself had drafted the message, after the post briefly appeared online with the header “Draft – Pakistan’s PM Message on X.” The Pakistani Embassy did not immediately respond to queries, according to the report.
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The outreach appeared to yield results. Within hours of the post, Trump announced that the US had agreed to a two-week ceasefire with Iran.
Trump later described the outcome as a decisive win for Washington. “Total and complete victory. 100 per cent. No question about it.”
He also said the US had received a 10-point proposal from Iran, calling it a “workable basis” for negotiations. On whether earlier threats of targeting Iranian infrastructure would be revived if talks failed, Trump said, “You’re going to have to see.”
Trump further indicated that Iran’s nuclear material would be addressed as part of any final agreement.
