Field Marshall Asim Munir.

Pakistan has played a vital role in trying to bring the US and Iran together. Even though the 21-hour meeting between the two sides in Islamabad failed to deliver any meeting of minds, the tenuous ceasefire between the US and Iran is holding - just. There are rumours of another such meeting, and the ceasefire deadline, which runs out next Tuesday, may be extended.

Iran has suffered much in this war, losing most of its surface fleet, most of its air force, with civilian and military deaths by the score. The old Ayatollah and Iran's top brass and politicians were wiped out in an Israeli-US military strike. Much of Iran's nuke industry has been hit hard, its missile production and storage zones hit, and its infrastructure badly damaged. Yet for all that, Iran still stands.

The US and Israel have also suffered military and civilian casualties as Iran has retaliated with missiles and drones. US bases in Gulf countries have been hit, resulting in death and injury. Israel has also been hit hard (as said above) despite its integrated air defence system bringing down many Iranian projectiles. Israel has also been fighting Iran's ally Hezbollah, but to get a permanent peace deal over the line, Trump has pressured Netanyahu to agree to a ceasefire.

Iran will want a permanent end to hostilities, but let's face it, despite Iran showing stoic resistance, the country has been devastated. It will want to quickly repair and rebuild its military and civilian infrastructure, which some say could take years. The Iranian economy was already tanking, and this war will have heaped misery upon misery. The question is, will Israel want a ceasefire with Iran? Despite all of Israel's sufferings from this war and previous wars, Netanyahu seems happy to keep fighting because it keeps him out of jail and keeps his fascist buddies happy. Some say Netanyahu manipulates Trump; he has shown that when he wants to, he can put his foot down on Israel. Like the 12-day war and now the ceasefire (if it holds) between Lebanon and Israel.

Despite mixed messages from the White House its plausible that Donald Trump wants a permanent peace deal too. Trump has midterm elections coming up in November, and if he has any sense, he will want this war wrapped up long before then. Despite the bravado that Hegseth, Vance, Rubio, and even Trump himself put on, they will be keenly aware that ordinary Americans who never wanted this war in the first place are suffering. If the Democrats do well in November, it could get to the point where Trump cannot get anything passed. Any loss to the Democrats could leave Trump a lame duck president and could lead to his eventual removal or impeachment. Trump wants to leave (or so he says) a good legacy when he departs from office, so if that's the case, the orange man had better move fast.

Pakistan and Iran are both regional Islamic powers. Pakistan is a Sunni Muslim republic, and Iran is Shia. Two branches of Islam that have, on occasion, been hostile. Iran and Pakistan seem close as fellow Muslim countries, despite one being a branch of Islam and the other being from another. When Pakistan hosted talks between the US and Iran, even though it came to nought, many were surprised by Pakistan trying to bring both sides together. Pakistan will have a genuine reason for trying to forge peace between the so-called Christian Nationalists in the White House and the Mullahs in Tehran. The reasons are that as long as the Straits of Hormuz are blocked, firstly by the Iranians and now by the US, Pakistan will suffer. Also, with war going on in Iran and with Pakistan as a next-door neighbour, despite being neutral will want this war over with as it could disrupt the peace of Pakistan. Pakistan has a significant Shia population, and there were riots when Khamenei left this life, thanks to munitions dropped or fired by Israel and the US.

Also, if any Israeli, American, or Iranian munitions do serious damage within Pakistan, Pakistan could find itself dragged into the war. One military officer, Field Marshall Asim Munir, a very prominent British-like officer whom Trump likes a lot, has been responsible for bringing the two sides together. Despite Pakistan's Prime Minister Shabaz Sharif, some say that Munir carries such weight and respect in Pakistan that he is the de facto leader of Pakistan.

The Field Marshall flew into Tehran the other day to discuss with the Iranians messages from the US. Pakistan has been acting as a go-between for the two sides. While Munir has not yet brought the two sides to a lasting peace, getting the US and Iran sitting at the same peace table in Islamabad is a remarkable achievement.

Can Munir get both sides to finally break deadlocks and agree to a permanent peace? We can only hope and pray.