Iran Nominates Trump for Nobel Peace Prize As He Threatens Neighboring Iran
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Pakistan has announced its nomination of President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, crediting him with averting a major conflict in South Asia at a time when the U.S. leader is contemplating intervention in the Middle East.
"The Government of Pakistan has decided to formally recommend President Donald J. Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, in recognition of his decisive diplomatic intervention and pivotal leadership during the recent India-Pakistan crisis," the Pakistani government's official X, formerly Twitter, account wrote in a post Friday.
The nomination comes just two days after Trump met with Pakistani Army Chief of Staff Field Marshall Asim Munir at the White House.
In addition to the four-day conflict between India and Pakistan, sparked by a deadly Islamist militant attack in India-administered Kashmir, one of the items discussed by the two men on Wednesday was the deepening conflict between Israel and Iran.
The two longtime foes have traded direct strikes against one another since Israel launched a massive series of attacks against Iran last week, alleging that Tehran was secretly moving toward producing a nuclear weapon, a claim denied by Iranian officials. Pakistan, which neighbors Iran, has repeatedly condemned Israel over its operations.
Yet Trump, whose administration had entered into talks with Iran aimed at reaching an agreement on the country's nuclear program, has backed the Israeli offensive and has openly contemplated joining the Israeli campaign through strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
A statement released Thursday by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, a day after Trump's meeting with Munir, indicated that Trump was still holding out for a potential diplomatic breakthrough.
"Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks," Trump said, according to Leavitt.
Reached for comment by Newsweek, the Pakistani Mission to the United Nations expressed hope that Trump would once again oversee a peaceful resolution.
"As stated by us in the Security Council, Pakistan favours a peaceful resolution to the crisis through dialogue and diplomacy," the Pakistani Mission said. "We hope that the situation will not escalate militarily, and tensions will be diffused amicably through diplomatic engagement."
"President Trump has distinguished himself as a peacemaker," the Mission added. "His statesmanship and successful diplomatic intervention with Pakistan and India played a crucial role in bringing about a ceasefire between the two countries in May 2025."
The Mission stated, "we remain hopeful that his earnest efforts will continue to contribute towards regional and global stability, particularly in the context of ongoing crises in the Middle East, including the humanitarian tragedy unfolding in Gaza and the deteriorating escalation involving Iran."
Newsweek has reached out to the White House for comment via email Friday.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the press upon arrival at Morristown Municipal Airport in Morristown, New Jersey, on June 20, 2025.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the press upon arrival at Morristown Municipal Airport in Morristown, New Jersey, on June 20, 2025.
MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images
Ties Between Two Islamic Republics
Iran and Pakistan have a complex relationship, marked by both a long history of cooperation as well as tensions on key issues.
Pakistan is suspected to have played a role in aiding Iran's nuclear efforts, dating back at least to the 1990s via nuclear physicist Abdul Qadeer Khan, considered to be the chief architect of Pakistan's nuclear weapons program. Khan, who died in October 2021, drew controversy in 2004 after he admitted to transferring nuclear technology to Iran, North Korea and Libya, though he claimed he did so without the knowledge of the Pakistani government.
While Iranian officials have never officially acknowledged receiving components related to their country's nuclear program from Khan specifically, reports issued by the CIA, the International Atomic Energy Agency and other agencies have drawn connections between the two nation's nuclear prowess.
Islamabad and Tehran also have established mechanisms of security cooperation, especially aimed at battling an array of militant groups, including Baloch separatist groups, that operate on both sides of their shared border.
Yet mutual distrust has at times prevailed, with both sides occasionally accusing one another of failing to uphold their side of security commitments.
This tension boiled over in January 2024 when Iran, having suffered the worst militant attack in its history perpetrated by the Islamic State militant group (ISIS), conducted surprise missile strikes against alleged positions tied to Baloch Islamist militant group Jaish ul-Adl in Pakistan's Balochistan province, as well as separate strikes against insurgents in Syria and an alleged Israeli spy base in northern Iraq.
Pakistan reacted with fury to the strikes and conducted retaliatory air and artillery strikes against positions tied to the Balochistan Liberation Army and Balochistan Liberation Front separatist groups in Iran's Sistan and Baluchestan province. Officials from both sides quickly agreed to de-escalate after the clash.
Pakistani students walk across the Pakistan-Iran border after returning from Iran in Taftan, in Balochistan province, on June 19, 2025, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran.
Pakistani students walk across the Pakistan-Iran border after returning from Iran in Taftan, in Balochistan province, on June 19, 2025, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran.
BANARAS KHAN/AFP/Getty Images
Pakistan-Israel Tensions Intensify
The Iran-Pakistan flare-up occurred as Tehran became increasingly embroiled in a separate conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement. After Hamas conducted a surprise attack against Israel in October 2023, the group was backed in the ensuing war with Israel by Iran and its Axis of Resistance coalition of non-state actors in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen.
The Axis of Resistance also counts allies from Pakistan, namely the Zainebiyoun Brigade, which consists of Shiite Muslim fighters predominantly involved in the fight against ISIS in Syria.
Pakistan, the world's only Muslim nuclear weapons power, has repeatedly condemned Israel, with which Islamabad has never established diplomatic ties, over its campaigns in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria. Israel is also widely believed to have nuclear weapons.
Pakistani calls for de-escalation have ramped up since Israel's direct attacks on Iran. On Tuesday, Pakistan joined 19 other Muslim nations, including Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, in voicing a "categorial rejection" of Israel's aerial offensive against Iran and calling for a Middle East free of nuclear weapons.
The Israeli strikes have largely targeted sites and personnel tied to Iran's armed forces and nuclear facilities, though activists report a mounting civilian death toll. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claim to have largely destroyed Iran's air defense network and to have made strides in depleting the country's missile capabilities, even as Iranian strikes continue to hit Israel.
As of Thursday, however, Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said that Iran has not "asked us for any kind of military assistance so far."
"Pakistan's position on Iran is clear and transparent," Khan told reporters. "We provide full moral support to Iran; we strongly condemn the aggression against Iran."
A Shiite Muslim girl carrying placards shouts anti-Israel slogans during a protest rally in Lahore, Pakistan, on June 20, 2025, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran.
A Shiite Muslim girl carrying placards shouts anti-Israel slogans during a protest rally in Lahore, Pakistan, on June 20, 2025, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran.
ARIF ALI/AFP/Getty Images
Trump's India-Pakistan Stance
Pakistan's nomination of Trump serves as further evidence of potential warming of ties between Islamabad and Washington under the current administration, and at a potentially critical moment.
Trump has repeatedly expressed interest in receiving a Nobel Peace Prize over the years, including in relation to his first administration's efforts to reach a nuclear deal with North Korea and his role in overseeing the 2020 Abraham Accords through which the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco normalized ties with Israel.
When Trump delivered the first address of his second administration to a joint session of Congress in March, he credited Pakistan with helping the U.S. capture the suspected mastermind of a deadly attack conducted by ISIS against U.S. troops and Afghan civilians amid the U.S. withdrawal of Afghanistan in August 2021.
Trump is also known for seeking a stronger relationship with India, having empowered the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue coalition between the countries as well as Australia and Japan during his first administration. Trump has met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi three times throughout his two terms, most recently in February.
Vice President JD Vance also happened to be visiting India when Islamist militants killed 27 people in the town of Pahalgam, setting off the most serious India-Pakistan crisis in years.
Amid the tensions, however, Trump appeared to leverage his ties with both sides in order to intervene diplomatically. The extent of his role remains disputed by Modi, who told Trump that India was not interested in third-party mediation over the Kashmir dispute during their call Tuesday, according to Indian External Affairs Minister Vikram Misri.
Modi told reporters Friday that he "politely declined" an offer from Trump to meet at the White House this past week, citing a preexisting commitment.
Speaking Friday in New Jersey, Trump spoke optimistically about the potential to strike trade deals with India and Pakistan and hailed his efforts to promote peace between the rivals and mediate on other conflicts, including between Iran and Israel.
"As you know, we did a very great job with India and Pakistan," Trump said. "And we had India in, it looks like we're going to be making a trade deal with India, and we had Pakistan in, it looks like we're going to be making a trade deal with Pakistan. And this beautiful thing to watch."
"Serbia Kosovo, likewise, they've been fighting for years, and as you know, we brought that one to a conclusion," he added. "And now we have a couple of big ones, we have Russia-Ukraine, we're making a little bit of progress, and we have Israel. And nobody really knows what that one is all about. We're going to find out pretty soon, I guess."
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