Speaking to reporters in Washington, Trump said Pakistani civilian and military leaders had urged the United States to avoid broadening military operations during sensitive diplomatic talks with Tehran.“As you know, Pakistan has been fantastic.

And their leaders have been fantastic, the field marshal and the prime minister, and they asked us not to do it during the negotiation,” Trump said when asked why the United States suspended “Project Freedom,” a naval mission intended to secure commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump said the ceasefire between Washington and Tehran, in place since April 8, remained active despite what the U.S. military described as an Iranian attack on three American destroyers in the Gulf.The United States Central Command said American forces intercepted the attacks and launched retaliatory strikes against Iranian military targets.

Tehran, however, accused Washington of initiating the exchange.The confrontation marked the most serious challenge yet to the truce that halted weeks of conflict sparked by U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian targets beginning Feb. 28.

Iran responded during the war with missile and drone attacks across the Middle East and by restricting maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global oil and gas shipments.

The United States announced Project Freedom on May 4 to escort merchant vessels through the strait after attacks on commercial shipping, though the operation was later suspended.Trump said negotiations with Iran were progressing positively and reiterated Washington’s demand that Tehran abandon any pathway to nuclear weapons capability.

“We’re not going to give them the right to have a nuclear weapon. There’s zero chance,” Trump said.Esmail Baghaei said Tehran was reviewing messages and proposals relayed through Pakistan but had not yet responded formally to the United States.Iranian state media quoted Baghaei as saying the Islamic republic had “not yet reached a conclusion.”

Pakistan has emerged as a central intermediary in efforts to end the conflict. Direct U.S.-Iran talks hosted in Islamabad last month failed to produce a final agreement but established ongoing diplomatic channels between the two sides.

Ishaq Dar separately spoke by telephone on Thursday with Abbas Araghchi, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said.Pakistani foreign ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said Islamabad hoped negotiations would produce a sustainable resolution supporting regional and international stability.

“We hope the parties will reach a peaceful and sustainable solution that will contribute not only to peace in our region but to international peace as well,” Andrabi said.

Pakistan also said it was coordinating with Singapore to facilitate the repatriation of 11 Pakistani and 20 Iranian seafarers aboard vessels seized by U.S. authorities near Singaporean waters.

In an interview published Monday, Trump said the United States was in talks with Qalibaf, a former Revolutionary Guard commander. Qalibaf denied the assertion in a statement, saying Washington was “promoting desires as news while threatening our nation at the same time.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry also dismissed the claim. Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said no negotiations had taken place, though he confirmed that intermediaries had conveyed proposals to Tehran.

Baghaei said Iran would not overlook what he described as past breaches of diplomacy, referring to indirect talks in 2025 and early 2026 that were followed by military action involving the United States and Israel.

War pressure shapes diplomacy claimsThe exchange comes as Trump has increased pressure on Tehran to reach an agreement to end the ongoing conflict, now in its fifth week following joint U.S.-Israeli strikes launched in late February.

Trump warned that failure to reach a deal “shortly” could result in widespread destruction of Iran’s energy infrastructure and critical facilities, including desalination plants.

Qalibaf’s role under scrutinyQalibaf, long viewed as a pragmatic conservative within Iran’s political system, has previously been mentioned as a potential interlocutor for Western governments.

However, questions remain about his authority within Iran’s complex power structure following the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in a February airstrike.His successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, is believed to maintain ties with Qalibaf, though competing centers of power within Iran’s leadership continue to shape decision-making.

Analysts say references to Qalibaf as a negotiating channel may reflect both external pressure tactics and internal political maneuvering, as Tehran navigates wartime conditions and diplomatic isolation.