Pakistan’s 11th-Hour Bridging Proposal Averted U.S. Strike on Iranian Energy Sites

Officials tell ToI that a Pakistani bridging proposal secured the 2026 U.S.-Iran ceasefire just hours before Trump’s deadline to bomb Iranian energy sites.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 9, 2026, 2:48 PM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from The Times of Israel

The Midnight Rescue of the Islamabad Accord

The 40-day conflict between the United States and Iran was minutes away from a catastrophic escalation on Tuesday before a Pakistani bridging proposal broke a diplomatic deadlock. According to senior government officials, the transition from imminent bombardment to a two-week ceasefire was facilitated by Islamabad’s rapid redrafting of a 10-point framework. On Monday, the White House had flatly rejected an initial Iranian offer, prompting President Trump to reiterate his "ultimatum" to target Iranian oil and energy infrastructure if the Strait of Hormuz was not reopened. Pakistan, fearing a regional conflagration, worked through the night to adjust the proposal’s language into a format the Trump administration could accept as a basis for formal negotiations.

Washington’s Rapid Pivot Toward De-escalation

One of the most surprising elements of the breakthrough was the speed with which the United States accepted the revised Pakistani draft. Despite President Trump’s public rhetoric threatening to return Iran to the "stone age," officials noted that Washington was privately eager for a diplomatic off-ramp. After receiving the Pakistani bridging proposal on Tuesday, U.S. negotiators signaled their approval within hours. This rapid acceptance suggests that the administration’s fiery public stance was used primarily as leverage to force Tehran into a more flexible position, rather than a genuine preference for a protracted and costly air campaign against Iranian sovereign territory.

The Discrepancy in Tehran’s Public Narrative

Immediately following the ceasefire announcement, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council published a 10-point plan that it claimed represented the finalized deal. However, officials familiar with the negotiations confirm that the published document was actually the original, rejected Iranian proposal rather than the Pakistani bridging draft. The inclusion of clauses demanding an immediate, total lifting of primary sanctions and a permanent U.S. exit from the Persian Gulf were not part of the agreed-upon ceasefire. This move is being characterized as a domestic propaganda effort by the Iranian regime to convince its public that it successfully coerced the United States into accepting its initial demands.