Shehbaz Sharif’s appeal to Trump was pre-approved by White House, says NYT

White House cleared Pak PM Sharif's X post before Iran ceasefire appeal: Report

In his post on X, Shehbaz Sharif urged US President Donald Trump to extend his deadline imposed on Iran, advocating a two-week pause to allow diplomacy to progress. He also called on Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz for the same period as a goodwill gesture.

by · India Today

In Short

  • Shehbaz Sharif’s appeal to Trump was pre-approved by White House, says NYT
  • Sharif urged a diplomatic pause and reopening of Strait of Hormuz
  • White House denied Trump personally drafted the message

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s public appeal to US President Donald Trump to extend his deadline on Iran and calling for a diplomatic pause was not a last-minute move, but a coordinated message cleared by the White House in advance, according to a New York Times report.

On Tuesday night, before Trump announced his two-week ceasefire, Sharif advocated the pause to allow diplomacy to progress. He also called on Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz for the same period as a goodwill gesture.

"Behind the scenes, the White House had already reviewed and approved the statement before Sharif posted it," a person familiar with the communication said—indicating that diplomatic engagement was far more active than the public message suggested.

The White House dismissed speculation that Donald Trump personally drafted the message, even as attention shifted to the post’s edit history.

Widely circulated screenshots appeared to show an earlier version labelled “Draft - Pakistan’s PM Message on X.”

The draft version also called for continued diplomatic efforts in the Middle East and a pause in measures linked to the Iran standoff, raising questions about whether the message had been pre-prepared.

The episode has sparked debate online, with some questioning whether Pakistan’s diplomatic messaging is independently shaped or influenced by external actors.

Sharif’s original message stressed that diplomatic efforts were “progressing steadily, strongly and powerfully,” and called for a pause in hostilities to “allow diplomacy to achieve conclusive termination of war.”

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