Pakistan Pushes 2‑Week Iran Delay as Trump Weighs Cutoff Decision

Pakistan’s prime minister is pressing President Donald Trump to grant a last-minute two-week extension to his Iran deadline as the clock ticks toward an 8 p.m. cutoff that could trigger sweeping U.S. strikes, offering a potential diplomatic off-ramp in the final hours.

The White House confirmed Trump has been briefed on the proposal, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt saying the president “has been made aware of the proposal, and a response will come,” as officials weigh whether to extend the deadline.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose government has served as a primary intermediary between Washington and Tehran, called for both sides to pause hostilities, urging Trump to delay enforcement while pressing Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz for the same two-week period as a goodwill gesture.

“To allow diplomacy to run its course, I earnestly request President Trump to extend the deadline for two weeks,” Sharif wrote, adding that “all warring parties” should observe a temporary ceasefire to allow negotiations to reach a “conclusive termination of war.”

The proposal arrives as negotiations have shown signs of movement in recent hours, with U.S. and Iranian officials exchanging proposals through mediators including Pakistan, Egypt, and Turkey, according to officials familiar with the talks.

A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Tehran is “positively reviewing” the Pakistani proposal, signaling potential openness to a short-term pause even as core disagreements remain unresolved.

In a brief call with reporters, Trump declined to signal how he is leaning on the talks, saying, “I can’t tell you, because right now we’re in heated negotiations,” while adding he was about to be fully briefed on the Pakistani proposal. He added that Sharif is “a highly respected man.”

The White House said Trump is expected to make a decision in the coming hours.

At the same time, the president sharply criticized Iranian efforts to mobilize civilians around infrastructure sites, calling reports of human chains at power plants “totally illegal.”

The diplomatic push comes against the backdrop of escalating threats, with Trump warning Iran that failure to reopen the Strait of Hormuz could result in the destruction of key infrastructure, including bridges and power plants, in a rapid and overwhelming campaign.

In a post earlier Tuesday, Trump warned that “a whole civilization will die tonight,” framing the looming deadline as a decisive moment while leaving open the possibility of a negotiated outcome.

Iran, for its part, has signaled both defiance and caution, with officials warning of retaliation against regional energy infrastructure while continuing indirect talks through mediators in a bid to shape the terms of any pause.

With just hours remaining before the deadline expires, the Pakistani proposal has emerged as a last-minute attempt to halt the slide toward a broader confrontation — leaving Trump to decide whether to press forward with military action or allow diplomacy a final window to produce a deal.