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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Live Updates: Israel and Iran Trade New Strikes on 9th Day of War

New York Times

14 minutes ago

New York Times

Live Updates: Israel and Iran Trade New Strikes on 9th Day of War

President Trump was angry. Earlier this month, Tulsi Gabbard, his director of national intelligence, had posted a three-and-half-minute video to social media describing her visit to Hiroshima, Japan, and outlining the horrors caused by the detonation of a nuclear weapon there 80 years ago. Speaking directly to the camera, Ms. Gabbard warned that the threat of nuclear war remained. 'As we stand here today, closer to the brink of nuclear annihilation than ever before,' she said, 'political elites and warmongers are carelessly fomenting fear and tension between nuclear powers.' Mr. Trump berated Ms. Gabbard for the video, according to two people briefed on the conversation. He said that her discussion of nuclear annihilation would scare people and that officials should not talk about it. Mr. Trump's displeasure with the video laid bare months of his skepticism of Ms. Gabbard and frustrations with her. The president and some administration officials viewed her overseas travel, as the video exemplified, as being as much about self-promotion of her political career as it was about the business of government, multiple officials said, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal dynamics of the administration. But the tensions surrounding Ms. Gabbard are now in the open, as Mr. Trump considers mounting a military strike on Iran. Ms. Gabbard, a critic of overseas entanglements, has privately raised concerns of a wider war. And on Friday Mr. Trump said 'she's wrong' when he was asked about her testimony in March that Iran had not decided to build a nuclear weapon. After the video was posted, the president also told Ms. Gabbard that he was disappointed in her, and wished she had used better judgment, according to one of the two people briefed on the conversation. He told Ms. Gabbard that he believed she was using her time working for him to set herself up for higher office. Mr. Trump told Ms. Gabbard that if she wanted to run for president, she should not be in the administration, one of the people briefed on the meeting said. Image Ms. Gabbard and her husband, Abraham Williams, at her swearing-in at the White House in February. Credit... Eric Lee/The New York Times While Ms. Gabbard is a former Democrat, her credentials as a critic of America's long wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and as a skeptic of foreign military interventions appeal to Mr. Trump's base, and her views dovetail with those of some of his other advisers. Her supporters are openly advocating that the president keep her. 'The president needs someone who will give him the right intelligence information, whether he likes it or not,' said Daniel L. Davis, an analyst at the think tank Defense Priorities, which advocates a restrained foreign policy. 'If you put someone else in there, they might only tell him what he wants to hear.' Mr. Davis, a retired Army lieutenant colonel, was Ms. Gabbard's choice for a top intelligence role before criticism from Republicans over his skepticism of Israel's war in Gaza forced her to rescind the appointment. There is no question, officials said, that Ms. Gabbard's standing has been weakened and that she is embattled. But few in the administration want to see her depart. Some say she has people who like her, while others worry about who might replace her. Two officials said that Mr. Trump's anger over the video had faded and that they were back on better terms. Ms. Gabbard continues to brief the president regularly and speaks often to John Ratcliffe, the C.I.A. director, who held Ms. Gabbard's job in the first Trump administration, according to multiple officials. In a statement, the White House press office dismissed any notion she has been sidelined. Steven Cheung, a White House spokesman, said Mr. Trump had 'full confidence' in his national security team. 'D.N.I. Gabbard is an important member of the president's team and her work continues to serve him and this country well,' Mr. Cheung said. Ms. Gabbard was an aggressive supporter of Mr. Trump on the 2024 campaign trail. He and his top advisers valued her input, especially when Mr. Trump was preparing to debate Vice President Kamala Harris — whom Ms. Gabbard had memorably attacked in a Democratic primary debate in 2019. After the election, Mr. Trump quickly decided to nominate her for director of national intelligence. But from the beginning he made clear to associates that he harbored some doubts. Mr. Trump, according to associates, saw her as overly interested in her own success. Mr. Trump drew a contrast between Ms. Gabbard and the other former Democrat he named to his cabinet, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 'Bobby's a star,' Mr. Trump told one associate. 'Tulsi? Tulsi wants to be a star.' Mr. Trump's implication was that unlike Mr. Kennedy, Ms. Gabbard did not have what it took to succeed in politics. Image Ms. Gabbard with Mr. Trump, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tucker Carlson during a campaign event in Georgia in October. Credit... Kenny Holston/The New York Times And soon after her swearing-in, he began to complain about her effectiveness. At the same time, Mr. Trump — long mistrustful of the intelligence community — questioned whether there needed to be an Office of the Director of National Intelligence at all. A senior intelligence official said Ms. Gabbard had overseen a 25 percent cut in the size of her office. And Ms. Gabbard has repeatedly told people in the White House that she is willing to be the last director of national intelligence, according to an official. The office, Ms. Gabbard said, could be reabsorbed into the C.I.A., or become something akin to the National Security Council, a bare-bones oversight group. At least for a time, the kind of foreign policy restraint Ms. Gabbard favors appeared to gain traction this spring. In White House discussions about Israel and Iran, Ms. Gabbard raised the range of possible consequences of an Israeli strike against Iran, saying it could trigger a wider conflict that brought in the United States. Vice President JD Vance, at times also a skeptic of military intervention, made similar arguments and was among those who supported Mr. Trump's impulse to initially try to negotiate a deal with Iran. As the C.I.A. delivered intelligence reports that Israel intended to strike Iran regardless, Mr. Trump and senior aides became more publicly supportive of the Israeli campaign. Ms. Gabbard did not attend a key meeting at Camp David, where Mr. Ratcliffe presented assessments about Iran's nuclear program. Ms. Gabbard, according to officials, was on Army Reserve duty. Other people with knowledge of the matter have said she was not invited. (Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said Ms. Gabbard had met daily with Mr. Trump and his team.) Then on Tuesday, Mr. Trump contradicted Ms. Gabbard in public. After the Israeli strikes began, a journalist on Air Force One asked Mr. Trump about Ms. Gabbard's testimony in March that Iran had not decided to make a nuclear bomb. 'I don't care what she said,' Mr. Trump said. 'I think they were very close to having it.' He made similar comments on Friday. Image Mr. Trump, aboard Air Force One this week, contradicted Ms. Gabbard's assessment of Iran's nuclear program. Credit... Kenny Holston/The New York Times An official from Ms. Gabbard's office said her position was not at odds with Mr. Trump's. In her testimony, Ms. Gabbard reported the consensus opinion of the intelligence community: that Iran's supreme leader had not authorized the country to build a nuclear weapon. But Ms. Gabbard had also noted Iran's large stocks of enriched uranium and a shift in tone that was 'likely emboldening nuclear weapons advocates within Iran's decision-making apparatus.' But Mr. Trump's Air Force One remark came off as a rebuke. To a certain extent, some officials said, courting Mr. Trump's displeasure is a hazard of any intelligence job in his administration. Mr. Trump believes the intelligence community undermined him in his first term, and his long-held skepticism that it is part of a disloyal deep state continues. Ms. Gabbard, when briefing Mr. Trump, presents a range of options and assessments. But it is difficult to talk about the findings of spy agencies and not raise Mr. Trump's ire, the official said. Ms. Gabbard's most important job as director of national intelligence is overseeing, and delivering, the president's daily intelligence brief. But the brief is actually produced a few miles from her office at the C.I.A., and many of those working on the document are detailed from the agency. Ms. Gabbard announced internally last month that she would physically move the production of the brief to her headquarters, known as Liberty Crossing. Within the administration, several senior officials saw it as a way to try to enhance her own relevance at a time when Mr. Trump was questioning the relevance of the office. Others said it was an expensive decision that would be logistically difficult to carry out. Ultimately, the White House put the move on pause, according to multiple people briefed on the matter. Ms. Gabbard has influential defenders inside and outside the government. Mr. Vance, seen as the most senior voice for a less hawkish, more restrained foreign policy, issued a long social media post defending the administration's support of Israel's attack on Iran. He added to that a message supporting Ms. Gabbard. He also released a statement calling her a 'patriot.' Her supporters insist that she remains relevant and that, over time, her skepticism of American intervention in Ukraine and caution on military action against Iran will once more prevail. The possible delay of any decision by Mr. Trump to strike Iran represents an opportunity for diplomacy and critics of American military intervention to make the case for restraint, some of Ms. Gabbard's supporters said. Olivia C. Coleman, a spokeswoman for Ms. Gabbard's office, dismissed the reports of dissatisfaction or tensions with the White House as 'lies made up by bored, irrelevant anonymous sources with nothing better to do than sow fake division.' 'The director,' Ms. Coleman said, 'remains focused on her mission: providing accurate and actionable intelligence to the president, cleaning up the deep state and keeping the American people safe, secure and free.'

New York Times

18 minutes ago

New York Times

Israel-Iran ConflictLive Updates: Israel and Iran Trade New Strikes on 9th Day of War

Israel-Iran war stretches into a second week without diplomatic breakthrough

Yahoo

33 minutes ago

Yahoo

Israel-Iran war stretches into a second week without diplomatic breakthrough

Hours of talks aimed at de-escalating fighting between Israel and Iran failed to produce a diplomatic breakthrough as the war entered its second week with a fresh round of strikes between the two adversaries. European ministers and Iran's top diplomat met for four hours on Friday in Geneva, as President Donald Trump continued to weigh US military involvement and worries rose over potential strikes on nuclear reactors. European officials expressed hope for future negotiations, and Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said he was open to further dialogue while emphasising that Tehran had no interest in negotiating with the US while Israel continued attacking. 'Iran is ready to consider diplomacy if aggression ceases and the aggressor is held accountable for its committed crimes,' he told reporters. No date was set for the next round of talks. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel's military operation in Iran would continue 'for as long as it takes' to eliminate what he called the existential threat of Iran's nuclear programme and arsenal of ballistic missiles. Israel's top general echoed the warning, saying the Israeli military was ready 'for a prolonged campaign'. But Mr Netanyahu's goal could be out of reach without US help. Iran's underground Fordo uranium enrichment facility is considered to be out of reach to all but America's 'bunker-buster' bombs. Mr Trump said he would put off deciding whether to join Israel's air campaign against Iran for up to two weeks. The war between Israel and Iran erupted on June 13, with Israeli airstrikes targeting nuclear and military sites, top generals and nuclear scientists. At least 657 people, including 263 civilians, have been killed in Iran and more than 2,000 wounded, according to a Washington-based Iranian human rights group. Iran has retaliated by firing 450 missiles and 1,000 drones at Israel, according to Israeli army estimates. Most have been shot down by Israel's multi-tiered air defences, but at least 24 people in Israel have been killed and hundreds wounded. Israel's defence minister said on Saturday it killed a commander in Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard who financed and armed Hamas in preparation for the October 7 2023 attack on Israel that sparked the 20-month long war in Gaza. Israel said Saeed Izadi was commander of the Palestine Corps for the Iranian Quds Force, an elite arm of the Guard that conducts military and intelligence operations outside Iran, and that he was killed in an apartment in the city of Qom.