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Orange Wang

Vanessa Cai

As the United States and Iran agree to a two-week ceasefire, Pakistan’s strongman military chief is emerging as a major diplomatic player on the international stage.
When announcing the truce, both US President Donald Trump and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi expressed appreciation for the diplomatic efforts of Asim Munir.
Munir, who last year became Pakistan’s first ever chief of defence forces, is widely seen as the most powerful man in the country.
According to one prominent Chinese analyst, Munir’s close ties with Trump gave him a unique advantage in de-escalating a conflict that has threatened to shake the global economy.
The New York Times reported on Tuesday that shortly before announcing the ceasefire, Trump made two phone calls: in addition to a call to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the US president made one to Munir. The earliest reports of Munir speaking to Trump about the war emerged around two-and-a-half weeks ago.
Also on Tuesday, an article published by US news website Axios cited a senior US official as saying that Munir has developed a “rapport” with US Vice-President J.D. Vance.
Munir appeared to have been able to “firmly” grasp the personality of the US president, said Lin Minwang, deputy director of the Centre for South Asian Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai.
“[Munir] has a high emotional quotient … and, of course, the ability to mediate,” Lin said.
When dealing with Trump, a good relationship can be highly effective, Lin said as “Trump himself tends to value personal friendships”.
At the Gaza ceasefire summit in October, Trump publicly referred to the absent Munir as “my favourite field marshal” while inviting Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to speak.
In June last year, Trump hosted Munir for a rare one-on-one lunch in Washington, saying he was “honoured” to meet the “very smart” officer.
It marked the first time a Pakistani military leader had been invited to the White House while a civilian government was in place in Islamabad.
During the meeting, the pair discussed the then-ongoing 12-day war between Iran and Israel, which the US later joined.
Three months later, Munir returned to the Oval Office – that time alongside Sharif.


Born in 1968, Munir assumed command of the Pakistan Army in 2022, after leading the Inter-Services Intelligence, the country’s premier intelligence agency. He had previously served as head of Military Intelligence, another key player in the security establishment.
Munir stepped into the spotlight during the Pakistan-India border crisis in May last year, issuing tough statements aimed at New Delhi.
He was promoted to field marshal in the wake of the crisis, making him the second person to hold the rank in Pakistan’s history.
In December, he was appointed the country’s first ever chief of defence forces, which effectively placed the entire military under his command. The role was created through a constitutional amendment which also granted him lifetime legal immunity.
Besides his cosy relationship with Trump, Munir also appears to have built strong working relations in Beijing.
During a visit to China in July – between his two trips to the US – Munir met a series of high-level officials, including top diplomat Wang Yi and Vice-President Han Zheng.
When Wang visited Islamabad in the following month, he met Munir again and praised the Pakistani military as “the ballast of national stability and a staunch defender of China-Pakistan friendship and cooperation”.


Pakistan has acted as a crucial intermediary between Iran and the US during the latest conflict, with Beijing’s backing. The two warring countries will hold their first face-to-face talks in Islamabad on Friday.
China and Pakistan jointly proposed a five-point plan last week to ease the Iran crisis, when Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar visited Beijing. The plan followed a meeting in Islamabad that brought together several countries, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey to explore potential mediation efforts.
Pakistan has a history of serving as an interlocutor. During the Cold War, the country helped facilitate rapprochement between Beijing and Washington.
Today, the country is seen by China as an “ironclad” partner and is designated by the US as a major non-Nato ally – although the relationship has fluctuated in recent years.
Pakistan also shares a lengthy border with Iran. The two countries experienced their own border conflict in 2024.
“Iran is a neighbour of Pakistan to the west, so Pakistan has very direct concerns about the [current] situation,” Lin said.
He also referred to the joint strategic defence agreement signed between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia last year. Commitments Islamabad made in that deal could risk drawing Islamabad into the conflict, Lin explained.
“Pakistan has a very urgent need for this war to stop as soon as possible.”


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After stepping into the domestic spotlight last year, the Pakistani military chief is now emerging as a player in world affairs


After stepping into the domestic spotlight last year, the Pakistani military chief is now emerging as a player in world affairs.


Who is Asim Munir and why are Trump and Iran praising him?

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}After stepping into the domestic spotlight last year, the Pakistani military chief is now emerging as a player in world affairs

After stepping into the domestic spotlight last year, the Pakistani military chief is now emerging as a player in world affairs