NextFin News - Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has formally requested U.S. President Trump to extend a looming deadline for Iran by two weeks, a move aimed at averting a massive military escalation in the Middle East. The request comes as the 8:00 p.m. ET Tuesday deadline approaches, after which U.S. President Trump has threatened devastating strikes if Iran does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The White House has confirmed that U.S. President Trump has seen the proposal, though a formal response remains pending as global markets brace for the potential of a significant conflict.
The diplomatic intervention by Sharif follows a series of aggressive military maneuvers and rhetoric. U.S. President Trump recently posted on social media that "a whole civilization will die tonight" if the deadline is not met, a statement that has sent shockwaves through international diplomatic circles. In tandem with the rhetoric, the U.S. and Israel have already intensified strikes against Iranian infrastructure. According to the New York Times, over 90 strikes were conducted on Kharg Island, a critical hub that handles more than 90% of Iran’s oil exports. Simultaneously, the Israeli military reported strikes on eight bridges in northwestern Iran, targeting logistics and transport networks.
Sharif’s proposal seeks a fourteen-day window to "allow diplomacy to run its course" and has called for a regional ceasefire during this period. This initiative has gained immediate traction among some European allies. Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide expressed "full support" for the Pakistani peace initiative following a call with his Pakistani counterpart, Ishaq Dar. Eide praised the effort as a necessary attempt to de-escalate what he described as a "very dangerous" situation. However, the effectiveness of such a delay remains uncertain given the current administration's "maximum pressure" stance.
The economic stakes of the standoff are centered on the Strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively closed to "hostile" traffic since early March. The closure has disrupted global energy flows, as the waterway is the world's most important oil transit chokepoint. While U.S. President Trump has suggested he might "take the oil" or seize Kharg Island to secure energy supplies, such a move would likely trigger a broader regional war. Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref stated that Tehran is prepared for "all scenarios," while the Iranian defense ministry has threatened to retaliate against U.S. and allied energy facilities across the Middle East.
Legal experts and international observers have raised concerns over the humanitarian impact of the threatened strikes. According to reports from the Associated Press, targeting civilian infrastructure like power plants—as U.S. President Trump has suggested—could constitute a violation of the Geneva Conventions. With a population of 93 million, the destruction of Iran's power grid would lead to a humanitarian catastrophe. Despite these warnings, the U.S. administration, led by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, maintains that recent strikes have already significantly degraded Iran’s missile capabilities, suggesting a high level of confidence in a military solution.
The Pakistani request represents a rare moment of attempted mediation in a conflict that has largely bypassed traditional multilateral channels. Whether U.S. President Trump views the two-week extension as a viable off-ramp or a delay in an inevitable confrontation will determine the trajectory of global energy prices and regional stability in the coming hours. For now, the world remains in a holding pattern, waiting to see if the White House will trade its immediate ultimatum for a fortnight of high-stakes diplomacy.
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