'Great respect': Trump praises Pakistan for mediating Iran-US talks

WASHINGTON, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Apr, 2026) U.S. President Donald Trump, in an interview with FOX news Sunday, has expressed high praise for Pakistan for its role in acting as a key mediator in facilitating talks between the United States and Iran, saying Islamabad will stay involved in the process.

The President described Pakistan's efforts as "terrific," noting his "great respect for Pakistan" following the South Asian country's involvement in easing tensions and managing negotiations aimed at ending the conflict.

“Great respect for Pakistan, because they’ve been terrific. They’ve really tried, and they’ll stay involved, but we’re going to do it by telephone," Trump said, explaining there would be no round two of talks in Islamabad. "So if (the Iranians) want, they can call us."

"If they want, we can talk. But we're not sending people to travel 18 hours to meet," he said.

Trump cancelled a trip by his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Pakistan on Saturday, after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi departed Islamabad after speaking only to Pakistani officials.

This is not the first time Trump has praised Pakistan and its leadership for brokering a ceasefire and supporting peace efforts between the two countries.

A day earlier, Trump once again lauded Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of the Army Staff, Field Marshal Asim Munir, for their efforts to facilitate peace and negotiations with Iran, despite another pause in the diplomatic process.

In the FOX News interview, Trump repeated that Iran cannot have nuclear weapons. "So if they want, they can call us. But again, they know what has to be in the agreement. Very simple: they cannot have a nuclear weapon. Otherwise, there's no reason to meet," said Trump.

Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said U.S. pressure and hostile actions are undermining trust and making progress toward renewed talks more difficult, according to a statement from his office early Sunday.

He added that Washington cannot pursue negotiations while increasing pressure on Iran, saying such actions "disrupt the necessary atmosphere" for diplomacy.