'Great respect for Pakistan': Trump again praises Islamabad for peace efforts
US President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (not pictured) in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, US, March 19, 2026. PHOTO: Reuters
United States President Donald Trump on Sunday again commended Pakistan’s efforts for peace talks, stating that he has “great respect for Pakistan” and that it has been “terrific”.
“Great respect for Pakistan, but I will, because they’ve been terrific. They’ve really tried, and they’ll stay involved,” he said in an interview on Fox News.
Trump said that Iran could reach out to the US if it wanted to negotiate an end to the war between the two countries.
"If they want to talk, they can come to us, or they can call us. You know, there is a telephone. We have nice, secure lines, but we're not sending people to travel 18 hours to meet," he said.
Trump also referred to nuclear-related issues as part of any potential negotiations, saying, "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."
JUST IN: President Trump lays down a hard line on Iran talks, saying future discussions will happen by phone — not long-distance travel.
“They cannot have a nuclear weapon. Otherwise there’s no reason to meet.” | @JacquiHeinrich @SundayBriefFNC pic.twitter.com/0ub40kNac8Trump cancelled a trip by his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Pakistan on Saturday, dealing a new setback to peace prospects 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 praised 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.
“I think Pakistan is terrific. The field marshal (Asim Munir) is fantastic. I think the prime minister of Pakistan (Shehbaz Sharif) is great, and, you know, they would like to see something happen,” Trump said.
Read More: 'Two fantastic people': Trump all praise again for PM Shehbaz, CDF Munir
On April 17, Trump praised PM Shehbaz and Field Marshal Munir following a breakthrough in Iran's announcement to open the Strait of Hormuz to commercial vessels.
In a post on Truth Social, he said: "Thank you to Pakistan and its great prime minister and field marshal, two fantastic people!"
The comments came as Iran’s foreign minister announced the opening of the strategic Strait of Hormuz to all commercial shipping for the remainder of a U.S.-brokered 10-day truce between Israeli forces and Hezbollah, agreed by Israel and Lebanon.
With additional input from web desk.