Trump on Iran ceasefire: ‘It’s a favor to Pakistan’

US President Donald Trump said Washington agreed to a ceasefire with Iran as a “favor” to Pakistan.Trump told reporters on Air Force One as he returned from China that the United States had accepted the ceasefire at Pakistan’s request and had no current plans to resume bombing Iran.“We had a ceasefire at the request of another country. I would have benefited from it, but we did it to do Pakistan a favor. They are great people, field marshals and prime ministers,” Trump said.The comments come at a sensitive time for Pakistan. Pakistan has sought to position itself as a regional mediator in the U.S.-Iran crisis but has faced questions about its neutrality amid reports and satellite images showing Iranian military jets landing at Pakistani air bases at the height of the conflict.The reports have fueled speculation that Pakistan may quietly provide logistical shelter for Iranian assets, even as it publicly presents itself as a neutral mediator in the negotiations. This has become a familiar pattern that critics often associate with Pakistan’s foreign policy, which attempts to play multiple roles simultaneously, only to find its credibility questioned when events on the ground suggest otherwise.The US-Israeli conflict with Iran began on February 28 and was suspended on April 8 under a ceasefire agreement brokered by Pakistan. From April 11 to 12, US Vice President Vance led a delegation to Islamabad for direct talks with Iranian officials, marking an unusual start to diplomacy.Trump also reiterated that the United States would not allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons and said Tehran was under pressure to hand over its stockpile of enriched uranium in exchange for sanctions relief.He further noted that Chinese President Xi Jinping supports keeping the Strait of Hormuz open, highlighting how the crisis has attracted all major regional and global powers.