WASHINGTON: United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Saturday said that Washington and Islamabad were developing a “true friendship”, while commending Pakistan’s contribution to the ongoing peace negotiations between the United States and Iran.
Pakistan has been serving as the official intermediary between Washington and Tehran during the negotiations that led to the US-Iran ceasefire announced on April 8. Since then, US President Donald Trump and senior American officials have repeatedly acknowledged Pakistan’s diplomatic role in facilitating dialogue between the two countries.
Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Hegseth was asked about comments previously made by former US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard regarding Pakistan’s future missile capabilities and whether India’s Agni-VI missile programme could similarly pose a threat to the United States.
The question followed Hegseth’s speech in which he praised US defence cooperation with countries across the Indo-Pacific and Southeast Asia, as well as India, which he described as a “critical anchor to hold the line”.
Responding to the question, Hegseth said that while he had mentioned India, he could just as easily have highlighted Pakistan’s role and the contributions being made by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir in advancing peace negotiations.
He stated that an unexpected development was taking place in the form of a growing friendship between the United States and Pakistan, adding that he considered the emerging relationship important.
Acknowledging that both India and Pakistan are nuclear-armed states, Hegseth said it was understandable that each country perceived threats from the other and might seek to develop intercontinental ballistic missile capabilities.
However, he stressed that the United States was not currently viewing either India or Pakistan as a threat and was not singling out either country in that regard.
The defence secretary added that Washington was grateful for the contributions both countries had made toward maintaining peace and stability in their respective spheres of influence.
Hegseth also reiterated the position held by Washington and Islamabad that President Trump played a key role in brokering a ceasefire between Pakistan and India during the military confrontation in May 2025. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has rejected that claim, a stance that has reportedly frustrated Trump.
Over recent months, Trump has repeatedly praised both Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir. Last month, he described Shehbaz as a “great” leader and referred to Munir as “fantastic”.
Earlier, in February, during the inaugural meeting of the US-led Board of Peace, Trump praised the Pakistani premier and characterised the field marshal as a “tough man” and a “serious fighter”.
The US president has also publicly referred to Asim Munir as “my favourite field marshal”, reflecting the growing warmth in relations between Washington and Islamabad.
In November 2025, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Washington saw significant opportunities to expand its strategic partnership with Pakistan. He emphasised that the strengthening of US-Pakistan relations was not occurring at the expense of America’s relationship with India and that Washington remained committed to maintaining ties with both South Asian nations.