US President Donald Trump on Sunday praised Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and Chief of Defense Forces (CDF) Field Marshal Asim Munir for their relentless efforts to mediate in the US-Iran talks.
Speaking in a telephone conversation with Fox News Regarding peace talks with Iran, Trump said Prime Minister Shehbaz and Field Marshal Munir were “great people,” adding that he had “great respect” for Pakistan’s top leaders.
Trump said he decided to cancel the planned visit of U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner because the talks in Islamabad involved too much travel and expense.
“If they [Iranians] want to talk, they can come see us or call us. You know, there is a telephone. We have pleasant and secure lines,” he added.
Although he canceled the trip, the US president said he had great respect for Prime Minister Shehbaz and Field Marshal Munir for their tireless efforts in bringing both sides to the negotiating table.
Trump stressed that Pakistani mediators would remain involved in the negotiation process between Washington and Tehran.
The US president has repeatedly praised Pakistan’s civilian and military leadership for facilitating negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
Earlier, he had praised the “gracious and very capable leadership” of the army chief and the prime minister for hosting the first round of talks in Islamabad on April 11.
“They [PM Shehbaz and the field marshal] “They are extraordinary men, and they continually thank me for saving 30 to 50 million lives in what would have been a terrible war with India,” he added.
Pakistan’s efforts to bring Iran and the United States to the highest-level face-to-face negotiating table in decades to end weeks of war have drawn international praise.
In Islamabad, Field Marshal Munir was at the center of the action, greeting both delegations as they arrived and displaying remarkable bonhomie with US Vice President JD Vance.
Trump often refers to CDF Munir as his “favorite field marshal,” after a relationship forged during U.S. efforts to defuse a short but intense armed conflict between Pakistan and rival India last year.
