Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has spoken to the press at Buergenstock, on the sidelines of the Lake Lucerne Summit between the US and Iran.

He says Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, President Masoud Pezeshkian, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi have been “very, I think, straight and handled this entire crisis with a sense of dignity to de-escalate this situation”.

“I think they genuinely mean promoting peace in the region, [the] Iranian leadership. I think so is [US] President Trump and … I have no second thought about the fact that he is a man of peace,” PM Shehbaz tells reporters

“He has demonstrated that during the war between Pakistan and India, when the two countries were very close to the nuclear flashpoint and President Trump’s dynamic and courageous leadership, entering and doing effectively, saved hundreds of millions of lives.”

Responding to a question about US Vice President JD Vance saying he “loves” Pakistan, the premier has responded that a “renewed friendship between the United States of America is a very encouraging sign, and I am really grateful to President Trump for supporting Pakistan and promoting economic cooperation between the two countries [and] counter terrorism.

“I think this friendship, this new relationship, will usher into a period of very close coordination and cooperation between the two countries,” he adds.