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Hegseth says US-Pakistan ‘true friendship' growing, glorifies mediation endeavours

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US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Saturday said that a "true friendship" was growing between his country and Pakistan, hailing Islamabad's efforts to bring a permanent end to the Middle East conflict.

Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Hegseth heaped praise on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir for their crucial role in Washington's peace negotiations with Tehran, Bloomberg reported.

"Pakistan is a true friend of the US," he said, adding that PM Shehbaz and Field Marshal Munir were playing an "outstanding" role in the ongoing peace negotiations.

The US defence secretary was referring to Islamabad's ongoing efforts to bring Tehran and Washington back to the table to revive peace talks following six weeks of war.

Meanwhile, a peace deal remains elusive as a White House official told AFP that President Donald Trump will only make a peace deal with Iran if it meets all of his conditions.

The White House had indicated Trump was close to a decision on a potential deal, even as Tehran insisted there was still "no final agreement" on ending the Middle East conflict.

An Iranian state media report also rebutted several key elements of Trump's characterisation of the deal, with sources calling his remarks a "mixture of truth and lies."

Trump had previously repeated long-held demands that Iran agree never to develop nuclear weapons and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, among other conditions.

The US president reiterated his stance on Friday shortly before attending a two-hour meeting in the White House Situation Room where he failed to reach a decision on a deal with Iran.

'War and talks'

Hostilities erupted in the Middle East when the US and Israel launched coordinated attacks on Iran on February 28, prompting Tehran to target US bases across the region and effectively close the Strait of Hormuz, disrupting global energy markets.

The clashes ended after Pakistan brokered a two-week ceasefire on April 8, and later hosted delegations from Tehran and Washington for direct talks in Islamabad, the first such dialogue between the two nations in around 47 years.

The talks, however, concluded in a deadlock as US and Iran disagreed on many points, including Hormuz and Tehran's nuclear and missile programmes.

Despite the stalemate, Pakistan continued its efforts to bring both sides back to the table and mediated an extension in the ceasefire.

On Friday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian thanked Pakistan for "its initiative and effective efforts to reach an agreement" with the US.

The Iranian president made the remarks in a post on his official X account after holding separate phone conversations with PM Shehbaz and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

The US, on its part, has reiterated on several occasions that Islamabad remains the key mediator in its talks with Iran.

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