US-Iran Peace Deal: Did Shehbaz Sharif Steal Trump's Viral Thunder?
US-Iran Peace Deal: Did Shehbaz Sharif Steal Trump's Viral Thunder? Written By, Last Updated: June 15, 2026, 15:27 IST Trump built a reputation for owning
US-Iran Peace Deal: Did Shehbaz Sharif Steal Trump's Viral Thunder? Written By, Last Updated: June 15, 2026, 15:27 IST Trump built a reputation for owning major diplomatic announcements. But when the US-Iran peace deal emerged, it was Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif who broke the news first Rapid Read One of the biggest diplomatic announcements of the year did not come from Donald Trump. It came first from Shehbaz Sharif. (Reuters/File) For a man who clearly loves the limelight so much, how did Donald Trump let Pakistan’s Shehbaz Sharif make the first announcement of the proposed US-Iran deal to the world? Did Sharif beat Trump to the punch, on the latter’s 80th birthday no less? Or was it a calculated move on the US President’s part since the proof of the proverbial pudding lies in how negotiations proceed over the next 60 days? Such behind-the-scenes details are as obscure at the moment as much of the proposed agreement itself is, but the spectacle is a bemusing one for observers in the subcontinent a year after Donald Trump announced and took credit for a ceasefire between India and Pakistan following a brief armed conflict. The irony lies not in Pakistan’s role in the negotiations, which remains a matter of debate, but in the optics. For a politician who has built much of his public image around being the first to unveil diplomatic breakthroughs, Trump briefly found himself watching someone else deliver the headline.
The First Announcer Advantage Before Trump publicly confirmed the US-Iran agreement, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had already posted on X that a peace deal between the United States and Iran had been reached following intensive talks. The unusual sequence caught the attention of foreign policy observers. Michael Kugelman, a South Asia analyst, even wrote on X that the first announcement of a US-Iran peace deal had come from a Pakistani Prime Minister. The first announcement of a US-Iran peace deal comes from Pakistan’s PM. This marks the culmination of many weeks of mediation from Islamabad (including hosting direct talks), w/more than a little help from its friends (especially Egypt, Turkey, KSA, China, and in the end Qatar). Michael Kugelman (@MichaelKugelman) June 14, 2026 For a politician known for controlling the spotlight, Trump found himself outside it in what is the golden hour of publicity. Deja Vu, Anyone? The episode may sound familiar. During the India-Pakistan military confrontation that followed Operation Sindoor, Trump repeatedly claimed credit for helping secure a ceasefire between the two countries. New Delhi, however, publicly rejected suggestions of third-party mediation. The Indian government maintained that any understanding regarding the cessation of military action was worked out directly between India and Pakistan through established military channels. The disagreement was never really about the ceasefire itself. It was about ownership of the narrative.
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