Trump Pauses Iran Strikes After PM Shehbaz Outreach; Iran Signals Two-Week Ceasefire as Pakistan Brokers Historic Deal
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced on April 8, 2026 that Iran and the United States have agreed to an immediate ceasefire, crediting Pakistan's diplomatic outreach. (Photo: Representative Image / DGN HD TV)
Islamabad: In a historic diplomatic breakthrough, Pakistan announced on Wednesday that Iran and the United States — along with their respective allies — had agreed to an immediate ceasefire, effective at once and covering all active fronts including Lebanon. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif made the announcement in an early-morning post on X, inviting both sides to Islamabad on April 10 for formal negotiations aimed at securing a lasting and comprehensive peace settlement in the Middle East.
Key Facts at a Glance
- Pakistan announced an immediate Iran-US ceasefire, including Lebanon
- PM Shehbaz Sharif credited both sides for showing "remarkable wisdom"
- Islamabad peace talks scheduled for April 10, 2026
- Trump paused Iran strikes for two weeks contingent on Strait of Hormuz reopening
- Iran agreed to halt defensive operations if attacks against it ceased
- White House cautioned that nothing is final until announced by the President
- Trump confirmed he spoke with PM Shehbaz and Field Marshal Asim Munir
- Israel also said to have agreed to the ceasefire arrangement
PM Shehbaz Announces Ceasefire on X — "Effective Immediately"
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took to the social media platform X in the early hours of Wednesday to announce the ceasefire, describing the development as the result of sustained and constructive diplomatic engagement. In his post, he said both Iran and the United States, along with their allies, had agreed to halt hostilities immediately and across all theatres of conflict, including Lebanon.
The prime minister expressed hope that the proposed Islamabad talks, scheduled for April 10, would serve as a platform to work toward a sustainable peace agreement and resolve all outstanding disputes between the two nations. He extended a formal invitation to both sides to send delegations to Islamabad for the negotiations.
Trump Pauses Strikes — Two Weeks Contingent on Strait of Hormuz
The ceasefire announcement came in the wake of a significant policy statement from US President Donald Trump, who said early Wednesday that he would suspend the bombing campaign against Iran for a period of two weeks — on the condition that Tehran fully reopened the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping. The statement was made less than two hours before Trump's self-imposed ultimatum to Iran was due to expire at 8pm Eastern Time on April 8.
The timing was critical. Just a day earlier, Trump had issued a dire warning to Iran, declaring that "a whole civilisation will die tonight" as Tehran showed no signs of accepting Washington's demands. The shift in tone — from an impending military strike to a conditional pause — was widely attributed to Pakistan's diplomatic intervention in the final hours before the deadline.
Iran, for its part, responded by stating it would halt its own defensive military operations provided that all attacks against Iranian territory ceased. Tehran added that safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz could be ensured for the two-week period — a statement that aligned closely with what Pakistan had been urging both sides to accept as a starting point for diplomacy.
Pakistan's Diplomatic Push — Hours Before the Deadline
With only hours remaining before Trump's April 8 deadline, Prime Minister Shehbaz had posted an urgent message on X calling on both sides to allow diplomacy to run its course. In that message, he described Pakistan as an active facilitator in efforts to end the Middle East conflict — a war that began when the United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes against Iran on February 28.
The prime minister had urged President Trump to extend his deadline by two weeks, framing it as an opportunity to let diplomacy work. He also appealed directly to Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz as a goodwill gesture for the same period, describing the waterway as a vital global corridor and calling on all parties to observe a comprehensive ceasefire so negotiations could advance toward a conclusive resolution.
"Pakistan sincerely requests its Iranian brothers to allow the Strait of Hormuz route to reopen for a two-week period. Both sides have shown remarkable wisdom and understanding. We remain constructively engaged in promoting peace and stability in the region."
— Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, April 8, 2026
Trump Confirms Call with PM Shehbaz and Field Marshal Asim Munir
Shortly after Pakistan's ceasefire announcement, US President Donald Trump confirmed on his Truth Social platform that he had spoken directly with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Importantly, Trump also mentioned that he had been in contact with Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir — a detail that underscored the depth and seriousness of Pakistan's military-diplomatic engagement in facilitating the breakthrough.
The involvement of Field Marshal Munir was seen by regional analysts as significant, suggesting that the outreach from Pakistan went well beyond standard diplomatic channels and involved direct military-to-military communication at the highest levels. Such engagement is typically reserved for the most critical moments in international security crises.
White House Urges Caution — "Nothing Final Until Announced by the President"
Despite the enthusiasm surrounding Pakistan's announcement, the White House issued a note of caution. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that the United States had not yet formally agreed to a ceasefire, and that while discussions were taking place regarding in-person talks, no agreement would be considered official or binding until announced directly by President Trump or through the White House itself.
Leavitt's statement introduced an element of uncertainty, underscoring the delicate and still-evolving nature of the diplomatic process. Analysts noted that such public hedging is not uncommon in high-stakes diplomatic situations, where both the pace of developments and the messaging around them must be carefully managed to avoid undermining the negotiating positions of either side.
A separate White House official, however, confirmed that Israel had agreed to the ceasefire arrangement reached between Washington and Tehran — a significant detail, given that Israel's military campaign against Iran had been coordinated alongside US strikes since the conflict began in late February.
Strait of Hormuz: The Maritime Lifeline at the Centre of the Crisis
The Strait of Hormuz — a narrow waterway located between Iran and Oman — sits at the very heart of the current crisis. Before the war disrupted normal shipping operations, the strait served as the passage point for roughly 20 percent of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas supply, making it one of the most strategically important maritime chokepoints on the planet.
Iran's ability to threaten or restrict passage through the strait has long been regarded as its most powerful economic and strategic lever in any confrontation with the United States or its allies. The closure of the Hormuz strait — even partially — sent tremors through global energy markets, contributed to sharp rises in crude oil prices, and added urgency to Washington's demands that Tehran stand down.
Pakistan, which framed the reopening of the strait as a goodwill gesture rather than a capitulation, sought to give Iran a face-saving path forward that would simultaneously address one of Washington's core demands. This framing proved critical in persuading both parties that a temporary de-escalation was in their mutual interest.
Regional and Global Implications of the Ceasefire
If the ceasefire holds and the Islamabad talks on April 10 make meaningful progress, the consequences for the Middle East and the global order could be profound. A negotiated end to the US-Iran conflict would remove the immediate threat of a catastrophic escalation that had alarmed governments across Asia, Europe, and the Gulf. It would also potentially allow oil markets to stabilise, easing inflationary pressures that had been building since the Strait of Hormuz disruption began.
For Pakistan, brokering a ceasefire between two of the world's most powerful nations — the United States and Iran — would represent a remarkable diplomatic achievement, one that would significantly elevate Islamabad's standing as a regional mediator and international actor. It would also strengthen Pakistan's relationship with both Washington and Tehran at a time when the country has been navigating a complex foreign policy landscape.
Gulf Arab states, including Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which have long viewed Iran as a regional rival and strategic threat, will be watching the Islamabad talks closely. Any comprehensive peace framework will need to account for their concerns as well if it is to produce a genuinely lasting settlement.
Conclusion: Pakistan's Moment on the World Stage
The events of Wednesday, April 8, 2026 may well be remembered as a turning point in one of the most dangerous conflicts of the 21st century. With the clock ticking on Trump's strike deadline and the world bracing for a potentially catastrophic escalation, Pakistan stepped in as a facilitator and helped pull two nuclear-era powers back from the brink. Whether the ceasefire holds, and whether the April 10 talks in Islamabad produce a durable agreement, remains to be seen.
What is already clear is that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir engaged at the highest diplomatic and military levels with both Washington and Tehran to achieve what many had considered impossible in the hours before the deadline. The world will be watching Islamabad on April 10.
DGN HD TV will continue to provide live updates on the Iran-US ceasefire, the Islamabad peace talks, and all developments related to the Middle East conflict. Stay with us for the latest.