Trump vows to attack Iran ‘very hard’, says Pakistan still trying for peace deal

• US president says Pakistan still working to secure US-Iran peace deal Trump amid Middle East escalation

• Claims ceasefire effort followed request from Islamabad leadership, accusing Iran of breaking fragile truce after Hormuz helicopter downing

• China urges restraint, calls for full and lasting ceasefire in region

• Pakistan has mediated between Washington, Tehran since Iran war began in February

 ISLAMABAD/BEIJING/WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened to attack Iran “very hard” amid renewed tensions in the Middle East, saying that Pakistan was still engaged in efforts to persuade Tehran to agree to a peace deal with Washington.

The remarks came as the United States and Iran exchanged fire following the downing of an American helicopter in the Strait of Hormuz earlier this week. The escalation has raised fears of derailing a fragile ceasefire reached between the two sides in April, reportedly with Pakistan’s facilitation.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said he had given Iran “a break at the request of Pakistan,” specifically citing Chief of Defense Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whom he described as “great.”

“They became friendly to me, very friendly, and they’re close to Iran,” Trump said. “And they work, and they still are working on trying them [Iran] to do what’s right. But we want a deal that’s meaningful. We want a deal that works.”

The US president said Iran had agreed it would not obtain a nuclear weapon, but added that a formal agreement still needed to be signed.

Trump also claimed that the United States had been secretly extracting “millions of barrels of oil” from Iran.

“Now that they figured it out, I can tell you... I wanted to say it so badly, I didn’t want to ruin it, but it was very hard,” he said.

“And that’s why it’s at $85-90 a barrel, instead of $250,” he added.

Pakistan, due to its close relations with both Washington and Tehran, has played a mediating role between the two sides since the conflict began in February. Islamabad hosted the first round of US-Iran talks on April 11, though the discussions failed to produce a breakthrough.

Since then, Pakistan has continued to relay messages and diplomatic proposals between the two sides in an effort to prevent further escalation.

China urges restraint as tensions escalate

Meanwhile, China on Wednesday expressed deep concern over the escalating situation in the Middle East and called on all parties to exercise restraint and pursue a political and diplomatic resolution.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian made the remarks during a regular press briefing in response to reports of renewed US strikes on Iran, followed by Iranian attacks targeting US military bases in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain.

“China is deeply concerned about the current situation involving Iran,” Lin said, urging all relevant parties to avoid actions that could further inflame tensions and instead take concrete steps to de-escalate the situation.

He stressed that disputes should be resolved through political and diplomatic means, adding that efforts should be made to achieve a full and lasting ceasefire as soon as possible.