Pakistan Secures Two-Week US-Iran Ceasefire

Pakistan said it helped secure a temporary ceasefire between the United States and Iran, with the arrangement announced early Wednesday morning, April 10. Officials described the deal as a two-week pause intended to reduce tensions after recent regional strikes and reprisals involving Israel, Iran, and Saudi Arabia.

According to a Pakistani source, the talks were conducted through intensive, anonymous negotiations in which Pakistan served as an intermediary, relaying messages between Washington and Tehran. The same source said the process was handled by a “very small circle” of officials and moved “at pace,” even as the atmosphere remained “sombre and serious.”

Pakistan’s Prime Minister confirmed the ceasefire in a post on X, saying diplomatic efforts were “progressing steadily, strongly and powerfully.” Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan, Reza Amiri Moghadam, also referred to the development on X, calling it a “step forward from critical, sensitive stage.”

As part of the ceasefire framework, Pakistan requested that the United States extend the deadline for two weeks and that Iran open the Strait of Hormuz for the same two-week period. Pakistan also invited both countries to meet in Islamabad on Friday, April 12, with the stated aim to “further negotiate for a conclusive agreement.”

The ceasefire comes against a backdrop of heightened strain in the region, with the source material citing attacks by Israel on Iran and Iranian retaliation against Saudi Arabia. The stated purpose of the pause is de-escalation, but the arrangement is described as limited in duration and dependent on continued restraint by the parties involved.

Officials and sources cautioned that the situation remains uncertain despite the announcement. Sources pointed to “continued fragility,” attributing the risk to a lack of trust and entrenched positions between the United States and Iran, even as Pakistan pushes for follow-on talks in Islamabad.

For global markets, the Strait of Hormuz element is a central operational detail within the ceasefire request, given the waterway’s role in regional energy and shipping flows. The next near-term milestone cited in the source material is the proposed Friday, April 12 meeting in Islamabad, which Pakistan said would be used to pursue a more conclusive agreement beyond the two-week pause.