Hamid Mir
Today’s world is full of contradictions. At some point, we come to terms with these contradictions. Sometimes we move forward from these contradictions, but sometimes it becomes difficult to get rid of them. Some such contradictions are a challenge in Pakistan-US relations.
During his first term in 2018, Donald Trump called Pakistan a liar and a cheat. In his second term in 2026, Trump has praised Pakistan and its leadership more than fifty times. Does this “praise” mean that Pakistan-US relations are very good? Apparently, these relations look very good. Pakistan nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize twice in two years. In 2025, after Pakistan’s nomination, Trump attacked Iran along with Israel. The second time, Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, and after some time, the United States attacked Iran again along with Israel. In this world full of conflicts, people were surprised that the country other than Pakistan that nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize was Israel. When the US and Israel launched a second attack on Iran in February 2026, Pakistan started trying for a ceasefire.
Iran launched a missile attack on Pakistan in 2024, that Iran was ready to accept Pakistan as a mediator in 2026 and on April 8, Pakistan announced a ceasefire between Iran and the US. Then Pakistan organized high-level talks between Iran and the US in Islamabad. Both sides had agreed on some points before the talks. The aim of these talks was to extend the ceasefire and announce an interim agreement, after which a comprehensive agreement was to be reached in a few weeks. The document of this interim agreement was ready and was about to be signed when suddenly the American delegation left these talks unfinished. This was an insult not only to the Iranian delegation but also to the mediator, but Trump saved him from a slap in the face by repeatedly praising the Pakistani leadership. Trump himself wanted to come to Islamabad to participate in the second round of negotiations, but now the Iranian government was not ready to trust him. To bring Iran back to the negotiations, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir himself went to Tehran and told the Iranian leadership that if a peace agreement with the United States was not reached, Israel would benefit the most. Obviously, Iran had no answer to this argument. Iran once again expressed its willingness to negotiate, and it was agreed that both sides would announce the lifting of the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and the second round of negotiations would be held in Islamabad.
Once again, Trump made statements that increased tensions and the second round of negotiations was postponed. Trump wanted to reach an agreement with Iran before his visit to China because he hoped for a breakthrough with North Korea after Iran. This time, the Iranian leadership decided to humiliate Trump, and when Trump arrived in China on May 13, his hands were empty of the agreement document with Iran.
Trump’s visit to China was a failure and he also came to know that the real role in this failure was played by Iran. On the other hand, he had no other option but to make an agreement with Iran because the closure of the Strait of Hormuz had created a huge global economic crisis. First, going to war with Iran failed, then there were failures on the diplomatic front as well. Trump wanted to turn these failures into successes. He tried to make the peace agreement with Iran conditional on the Abrahamic Covenant. Trump demanded that Pakistan and other Muslim countries, including Saudi Arabia, recognize Israel. Trump’s demand to recognize Israel was a strong slap in the face not only of Pakistan but of Muslims around the world. The oppression of the Palestinians is not a religious issue. It has become a human rights issue and Israel has become a symbol of oppression, tyranny and violence not only in the Muslim world but also in Europe. Trump believed that Pakistan did not have the option of refusing. Pakistan would say yes and then Saudi Arabia would also say yes. Then a peace agreement will be signed between Iran and the US and this agreement will turn into a great political and diplomatic victory for Trump. All of Trump’s predictions turned out to be wrong. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia clearly took the position that until Israel recognizes an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, there will be no question of recognizing Israel. Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar reiterated this position while sitting in the US. In other words, Pakistan made it clear to Trump that whether you sign a peace agreement with Iran or not is your choice, but we are not under any compulsion. We will not be part of the Ibrahimi Accord under your pressure. Trump made a mistake at the wrong time by making the peace agreement with Iran conditional on the Ibrahimi Accord, which will cause great harm to the US in the future.
Now, even if a peace agreement is signed between the US and Iran, most Muslim countries, including Pakistan, will not trust the US. It is also true that Trump does not represent the entire American public opinion, but he is the representative of the powerful lobby that makes decisions in America. This lobby wants to shut down Iran’s nuclear program at all costs. Will this lobby continue to ignore Pakistan’s nuclear program? If not today, then tomorrow America must settle its affairs with Iran and Pakistan will be praised all over the world, but Pakistan needs to be careful and vigilant about its nuclear program. In this world full of contradictions, Pakistan should have very good relations with America but also remember that Trump’s closest friend Netanyahu wants to eliminate not only Iran but also Pakistan’s nuclear capability, and Netanyahu’s closest friend Narendra Modi is always busy conspiring against Pakistan’s nuclear capability. After the agreement with Iran, a new era of conspiracies against Pakistan’s nuclear program is about to begin. The question is, will Trump become a part of these conspiracies or will he stand with Pakistan? We all know the answer.
