Pakistan has issued a strong condemnation of U.S. President Donald Trump’s military strikes on Iran, less than 24 hours after lauding him as a peacemaker worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in helping to defuse recent tensions between Islamabad and New Delhi.
On Saturday evening, Pakistan’s government praised Trump’s “decisive diplomatic intervention and pivotal leadership” in mediating a truce between India and Pakistan, following a spike in cross-border hostilities triggered by a deadly attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir in April. In a statement posted on social media platform X, Islamabad announced its formal recommendation of Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, crediting him with helping to avert a potentially catastrophic conflict between the nuclear-armed rivals.
But by Sunday, that tone had dramatically shifted as U.S. B-2 bombers launched strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities. Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the attacks as a “serious violation of international law” and of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) statutes, given that the targeted sites were under IAEA safeguards.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in a phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, conveyed “deep concern” over the strikes and voiced Pakistan’s support for Iran’s right to self-defense, particularly in the context of ongoing Israeli attacks. The strikes on Iran have drawn widespread alarm across the region, with fears mounting over the potential for broader regional escalation.
The apparent contradiction in Pakistan’s diplomatic stance has drawn attention, particularly in light of Thursday’s high-profile White House lunch attended by Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Pakistan’s powerful army chief, General Asim Munir. The meeting, which reportedly lasted over two hours, included discussions on Middle East tensions and the need for diplomatic resolutions to the Iran-Israel conflict, according to a Pakistani military statement.
Despite Islamabad’s gratitude for Trump’s role in de-escalating its standoff with India, New Delhi dismissed the notion of U.S. mediation. India maintains that Kashmir is a bilateral issue and has long rejected any foreign involvement in its internal matters. The region remains a flashpoint, with both sides accusing the other of fostering unrest.
As the international community reacts to Trump’s aggressive shift from diplomacy to military action in Iran, Pakistan’s own swift pivot from praise to condemnation underscores the fragile and complex dynamics at play in an increasingly volatile region.
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