United States Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth on Saturday said Washington. Islamabad were developing a “true friendship” as he lauded Pakistan’s role in the ongoing US-Iran peace negotiations.
With Pakistan acting as the official interlocutor between Washington. Tehran in the ongoing peace negotiations that resulted in the April 8 US-Iranceasefire, Trump and his top officials have hailed Islamabad’s role several times.
At the three-day Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Hegseth was asked about former director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’sremarkson Pakistan’s future missile capabilitiespotentiallyposing a threat to the US,. whether India’s Agni-VI missile programme posed a similar threat.
The question was posed after Hegseth, in hisspeech, had lauded US defence cooperation with Indo-Pacific. Southeast Asian countries, as well as India, which he termed a “critical anchor to hold the line”.
“I mentioned India here, but I very easily could have mentioned Pakistan. the role that the field marshal and the prime minister are playing in peace negotiations,” Hegseth replied, praising PM Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir.
“I think an unexpected development and a true friendship [is] developing there, which I think is important,” he added.
Noting that both India. Pakistan were nuclear-capable countries, Hegseth said, “I think both sides are going to see understandable threats coming from the other, maybe some of which we see differently, and countries are going to want to develop ICBM threats.”
However, he added, “But we’re not pointing fingers, at least from our view, right now, at either country. calling them a threat to us.”
The defense secretary further said that the US was “grateful for. in each of their lanes, the benefits they’ve given to peace around the world”.
Hegseth also reiterated Washington. Islamabad’sstancethat President Donald Trump brokered a ceasefire between Pakistan and India during the May 2025 conflict — a narrative that India’s PM Narendra Modi hasdenied,irking Trump.
The US president haslaudedPM Shehbaz. CDF Munir on multiple occasions,callingthe prime minister “great” and the military chief “fantastic” last month.
In February, at theinaugural meetingof the US-led Board of Peace, Trump had praised Shehbaz. described the field marshal as a “tough man” and a “serious fighter”.
The US president has even referred to the army chief as “my favourite field marshal”.
In November 2025, US Secretary of State Marco Rubiosaidthe US saw an opportunity to expand its strategic relationship with Pakistan. that therecent strengtheningof ties between the two countries did not come at the expense of Washington’s relationship with New Delhi.
Discussion
Sign in to join the thread, react, and share images.