Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir discusses Israel-Iran conflict with Trump

President Donald Trump met Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir Wednesday in Washington as the US considers supporting Israeli airstrikes on Iran.

The meeting came as the capital was fixated on speculation that the US may join Israel’s attacks aimed at disabling Iran’s nuclear programme. Trump said multiple times he hadn’t made a decision on the issue, but signalled he had discussed it with Munir.

“They know Iran very well, better than most, and they’re not happy about anything,” Trump said after meeting Munir at the White House. “They see what’s going on. And he agreed with me,” Trump said, without explaining what he meant.

Ahead of the planned discussions, Pakistan had signalled it may seek a role as a mediator in the Middle East conflict.

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said Monday that Iran was willing to return to the negotiating table if Israel refrains from further strikes, citing direct communication with his Iranian counterpart. “Our intention was always to see successful negotiations between the United States and Iran,” Dar said in parliament.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in a social media post over the weekend that he had spoken with Iran’s president “to express Pakistan’s unwavering solidarity with the brotherly people of Iran in the face of Israel’s unprovoked aggression.” He told a cabinet meeting on Wednesday that “the international community should immediately make efforts to put an end to this war.”

State-run Pakistan Television Corp. confirmed the meeting late on Wednesday, citing people it did not identify. In its report, PTV described the meeting as “important and historic,” saying it reflected “growing confidence” in Pakistan’s military leadership.

Political scientist Hassan Askari Rizvi said the meeting would be the first of its kind between a sitting army chief and US leader. “It’s a kind of special gesture given by President Trump.”

Trump gathered with his national security team Wednesday, following a similar meeting that lasted more than an hour on Tuesday, fuelling fresh speculation that the US is on the verge of joining Israel’s attack on Iran. American weapons are seen as crucial to achieving a more complete dismantling of the Islamic Republic’s atomic programme than anything Israel can do alone.

The Pakistani military leader was also expected to meet Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on his US trip, media in the South Asian country reported.