The world watches as the Strait of Hormuz turns into a lever of raw power, with traffic through the narrow waterway now far below normal levels and fuel prices in the United States having already crossed $4 a gallon in recent weeks.
US President Donald Trump insists he will not lift his naval blockade, even as he prolongs the ceasefire and waits for Tehran to produce a “unified proposal” for peace. Meanwhile, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy has seized two vessels for what it described as maritime violations, and Britain is convening military leaders from thirty nations to discuss reopening the strait. Even as Washington calls its strategy pressure and Tehran calls it war, what no one disputes is that the disruption has triggered one of the most severe energy shocks in decades.
On Thursday, the US president went further, ordering the Navy to “shoot and kill” any boat laying mines in the strait, and boasting that America has “total control” and will keep it “sealed up tight” until Iran capitulates. Clearing these mines may take up to six months, prolonging the crisis and exposing the world to further price spikes. The International Energy Agency has already warned of a historic supply disruption, with more than 12 million barrels of oil per day affected at the peak. Pakistan, still negotiating with both sides, knows that every extra week of blockade multiplies the strain on a global economy that barely survived a pandemic.
Islamabad has offered its own lifeline. Last week, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif asked Trump to extend the ceasefire and urged Iranian leaders to open the strait for two weeks as a goodwill gesture. Pakistan has argued that the war has already triggered unprecedented disruption in energy supply chains. Pakistani mediators, led by Field Marshal Asim Munir and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, have shuttled between Tehran and Washington with draft proposals, trying to keep both sides engaged at the table as the standoff drags on.
The crisis is already spilling beyond Iran. Israel’s recent attacks on Lebanon killed at least five people, among them journalist Amal Khalil; rescuers trying to reach her were driven back by a sound grenade, and Lebanese authorities say targeting journalists and obstructing relief efforts are war crimes. More than 2,400 people have been killed in Lebanon since Israel’s offensive began.
Mediation is not glamorous, and it rarely earns headlines, yet it offers Pakistan the chance to prove that empathy and memory can restrain brute force. That is the conversation these pages urge readers to consider: will Pakistan’s leaders take this moment to lead? *