THE HALFAX HEIMDALL AUGUR

Trump again praises army chief, Calls Field Marshal Munir 'highly ... By Staff Reporter ISLAMABAD: President Trump again praised Pakistan’s top military leader, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, as a “highly respected general,” the latest in a string of compliments that underscore a striking thaw in relations between Washington and Islamabad during his administration. The remarks came during a news conference at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence, where he also announced plans for a new class of heavily armed warships to be named in his honor, a distinction typically bestowed on former presidents. Asked about negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, Trump claimed his administration had “stopped eight wars” so far. “We stopped a potential nuclear war between Pakistan and India,” he said. “The head of Pakistan and a highly respected general — he is a field marshal — and also the prime minister of Pakistan said that President Trump saved 10 million lives, maybe more, by getting that war.” “You know, eight planes were shot down, the war was starting to rage,” the president added. The praise for Field Marshal Munir, who serves as both chief of defence forces and chief of army staff, builds on a…

Trump praises Asim Munir, says discussed Iran with Pakistan army chief US President Donald Trump has praised Pakistan's army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, for what he described as a key role in preventing a war with India, saying the two also discussed regional tensions — including with Iran — and the possibility of a trade agreement. "It was an honour to host Field Marshal Asim Munir today," Trump said following their lunch meeting in Washington DC. The meeting took place in the Cabinet Room and was closed to the press. "I invited him to thank him for helping stop a war. We also discussed a potential trade deal with Pakistan and regional issues — including the Iran situation," Trump added. Speaking to reporters ahead of the lunch, Trump reiterated his claim that he helped prevent a conflict between the South Asian rivals. "They were going at it, and both are nuclear countries. I stopped a war between two major nations," he said. Trump credited both General Munir and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi with de-escalating the situation. "This man [Munir] was extremely influential in stopping it from the Pakistani side, and PM Modi from the Indian side," he said. "I love …

Pakistan’s vital US-Iran peace efforts <p>US President Trump announ­ced in Wisconsin that the Iran war is “largely finished.” He explained that his goal is to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon and “the situation with Iran seems to be going quite well”. President Trump also said that he would be honoured to meet the Iranian Supreme leader if the US and Iran can make a deal.</p> <p>Despite occasional skirmishes and ambivalent Iranian signals, the optimism expressed by the US President indicates Washington hopes to eventually achieve enduring peace. This would not have been possible without the pivotal role played by Pakistan and Field Marshal Asim Munir in navigating the delicate peace process, despite landmines being laid throughout the process and across the region to sabotage it.</p> <figure class='media w-full sm:w-1/2 media--right media--embed media--uneven' data-original-src='https://www.dawn.com/news/2006144'> <div class='media__item media__item--newskitlink '> <iframe class="nk-iframe" width="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="height:250px;position:relative" src="https://www.dawn.com/news/card/2006144" sa…

Pakistan urges to 'give peace a little more chance' as US, Iran engage in fresh round of hostilities <p>As the US and Iran engage in a fresh round of <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/2006586/iran-targets-american-bases-in-jordan-and-the-gulf-after-fresh-us-strikes-near-hormuz">hostilities</a>, Pakistan has urged all sides to exercise restraint and give peace a little more chance.</p> <p>“As we work earnestly and painstakingly, together with our friends and partners, to find a peaceful diplomatic solution to the conflict, and especially when the final objective is just about to be achieved, we sincerely urge all sides to exercise restraint and give peace a little more chance,” said Pakistan Permanent Representative to the UN Asim Iftikhar Ahmad at a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting on Tuesday.</p> <p>The statement came against the backdrop of the US carrying out attacks in Iran in response to what US President Donald Trump said was the <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/2006350/us-helicopter-crew-who-went-down-in-strait-of-hormuz-rescued-by-drone"><u>downing of a US Apache helicopter</u></a> on Tuesday. In retaliation, Iran said it attacked bases and other targets i…

Trump credits Pakistan for helping avert US strikes on Iran US President Donald Trump on Thursday credited Pakistan and several Gulf states with helping avert planned American strikes on Iran, saying he had “given Iran a break at the request of Pakistan” as talks with Tehran advanced. Trump had declared the US would strike Iran “very hard” again on Thursday, but later said he was cancelling the strikes because negotiators had “just made a great settlement” with Iran. Trump’s remarks about Pakistan are seen as an unexpected diplomatic victory at a time when Islamabad has been seeking to project itself as a regional stabiliser. The acknowledgement also underscores the growing role of middle powers in backchannel diplomacy, while any easing of US-Iran tensions could help stabilise global oil markets. For India, which depends heavily on Gulf crude imports, de-escalation would reduce the risk of supply disruptions and further spikes in fuel prices. Trump praises Pakistan’s Asim Munir: I call him the General. He is a general. He is a great general—so great that he is actually a field marshal, a step above.pic.twitter.com/4zzALF9HLH — Clash Report (@clashreport)June 11, 2026 “We jus…

Trump-Iran war talks: Pakistan offers to facilitate - CNBC PakistaniPrime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said his country is willing to host talks between the U.S. andIranin pursuit of a "comprehensive settlement" of the ongoingwar. "Pakistan welcomes and fully supports ongoing efforts to pursue dialogue to end the WAR in Middle East, in the interest of peace and stability in region and beyond," Sharif said on X. "Subject to concurrence by the US and Iran, Pakistan stands ready and honoured to be the host to facilitate meaningful and conclusive talks for a comprehensive settlement of the ongoing conflict," he said. The post tagged the social media profiles of PresidentDonald Trump, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Trump, on hisTruth Social platform, shared a screenshot of Sharif's post later Tuesday morning. The messaging followed reporting that regional leaders are engaged in behind-the-scenes diplomatic efforts to help broker an end to the conflict, which has resulted inthousands of deathsand wreaked havoc on the global economy since it began less than a month ago. But much remains unclear about where things stand between th…

Pakistan moves to mediate between the U.S. and Iran as Trump says he's ... Add NBC News to Google Iran fires new wave of missiles amid Trump’s peace talks claims 02:17 Get more news Live on Share Add NBC News to Google March 24, 2026, 1:28 AM EDT / Updated March 24, 2026, 9:46 AM EDT By Abigail Williams , Natasha Lebedeva and Monica Alba Pakistan is joining a growing list of countries acting as go-betweens for the United States and Iran , four sources told NBC News, with two of those sources saying an in-person meeting could be held in the coming days in Islamabad. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content. A diplomatic source said Pakistan is in conversations with both the U.S. and Iran and is “well poised to play an active role” in discussions to end the war, which has killed more than 2,000 people and displaced millions as it enters its fourth week. A Gulf official said Pakistan had been passing messages between the two countries for the past two days. For the first time since the conflict began with U.S. and Israeli strikes Feb. 28, President Donald Trump said Monday that the U.S. and Iran had held “very good and produc…

Trump-Iran war talks: Pakistan offers to facilitate - CNBC PakistaniPrime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said his country is willing to host talks between the U.S. andIranin pursuit of a "comprehensive settlement" of the ongoingwar. "Pakistan welcomes and fully supports ongoing efforts to pursue dialogue to end the WAR in Middle East, in the interest of peace and stability in region and beyond," Sharif said on X. "Subject to concurrence by the US and Iran, Pakistan stands ready and honoured to be the host to facilitate meaningful and conclusive talks for a comprehensive settlement of the ongoing conflict," he said. The post tagged the social media profiles of PresidentDonald Trump, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Trump, on hisTruth Social platform, shared a screenshot of Sharif's post later Tuesday morning. The messaging followed reporting that regional leaders are engaged in behind-the-scenes diplomatic efforts to help broker an end to the conflict, which has resulted inthousands of deathsand wreaked havoc on the global economy since it began less than a month ago. But much remains unclear about where things stand between th…

US-Iran talks in Burgenstock: Sharif praises Iran, calls Trump a man of ... Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday praised the Iranian delegation's "cool-headedness, dignity and attempts at de-escalation" as quadrilateral talks involving the US, Iran, Qatar and Pakistan began in the Swiss mountain resort of Burgenstock. The meeting, being referred to as the Lake Lucerne Summit, is focused on implementing key provisions of a Memorandum of Understanding signed last week by US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, with Sharif signing as a guarantor. Sharif said the Iranian leadership genuinely wanted peace and added that "So does President Trump." He also said he had "no second thoughts" about Trump being a "man of peace", adding, "He has demonstrated that during the war between Pakistan and India." The MoU opened a 60-day negotiation window on restoring peace in West Asia, with focus on Iran's nuclear programme, sanctions on Tehran and Israel's offensive in Lebanon, while Pakistan and Qatar are acting as mediators. Sharif also said he was optimistic about a "renewed friendship" with the US and hoped it would grow into a relationship of close coo…

Trump credits Pakistan-led diplomacy for halting Iran strikes June 12, 2026 US President Donald Trump said he canceled scheduled Iran strikes after talks reached top Iranian leadership. He credited Pakistan and Gulf states for backchannel diplomacy and urged a deal amid escalating hostilities. Agencies June 12, 2026 US president says negotiations with Tehran reached highest leadership levels Acknowledges Pakistan, Gulf states for facilitating backchannel diplomacy Shehbaz Sharif, Field Marshal Asim Munir named in White House remarks Saudi Arabia backs Pakistan-sponsored negotiations as Islamabad urges restraint and dialogue ISLAMABAD:US President Donald Trump on Thursday said he had called off planned military strikes against Iran after negotiations with Tehran advanced to the highest levels of the Iranian leadership, crediting Pakistan and several Gulf and Middle Eastern states for supporting diplomatic efforts toward a proposed agreement. The announcement came amid a sharp escalation in US-Iran hostilities that had raised fears of a wider regional conflict following earlier US-Israeli strikes on Tehran in February. Trump had warned that Iran would “have to pay the pric…

Trump says Pakistan 'really helped us' with Iran deal <p>United States President Donald Trump has said that Pakistan “really helped” Washington with the memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Iran.</p> <p>He made the remarks during an interview with American news outlet <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" class="link--external" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/06/19/trump-axios-show-interview-transcript-marc-caputo"><em>Axios</em></a>. During the interview, the US president was asked about which global leaders he “liked”.</p> <p>In addition to Chinese President Xi Jinping, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump talked about Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, before mentioning Pakistan’s leadership.</p> <p>“In Pakistan, you have the field marshal, who is great. Munir, he’s great. And you have the prime minister, and they just get along great … He totally respects the prime minister. It’s a beautiful thing to see,” he said, talking about Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir.</p> <p>“But they really helped us with this deal. They knew the Iranians, they knew the people and they were good,” he said.</p> …