Despite US–Iran deadlock, Trump again praises ‘great’ PM Shehbaz, ‘fantastic’ CDF Munir

US President Donald Trump has once again showered praise on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir for their role in helping create a path towards peace and dialogue with Iran despite yet another halt in the dialogue process.

The comments were made in response to Mr Trump’s cancellation of an envoy visit to Pakistan, where he was supposed to meet with Iranian delegates for discussions. Iranian Foreign Minister has also departed from Pakistan following his discussions with senior officials.

“Pakistan is terrific. The field marshal (Asim Munir) is fantastic. The Prime Minister of Pakistan (Shehbaz Sharif) is great and they would like to see something happen,” Mr Trump said in a video released by Pakistani TV station X.

This marks the second time this month that the US president has publicly praised PM Shehbaz and Field Marshal Munir for their engagement in efforts to facilitate talks with Iran aimed at ending the conflict.

On April 17, Trump had similarly lauded the Pakistani leadership, describing them as “fantastic people”. In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, he wrote: “Thank you to Pakistan and its great prime minister and field marshal, two fantastic people!”

The US and Israel launched a joint offensive on Iran on February 28, killing dozens of top military officials, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, before a two-week ceasefire was mediated by Pakistan earlier this week.

Tehran retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, as well as Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries hosting US military assets, and restricted the movement of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, a key passage for oil and gas shipments.