The Wall Street Journal · Trump's strange love affair with Pakistan
Wall Street Journal op-ed writer Sadanand Dhume leaves out a likely reason for President Trump's warmth toward Pakistan: its delicate, perhaps covert, role regarding Iran. The piece refers only obliquely to “concrete cooperation with the U.S. military on counterterrorism.”
Consider the timing. The terrorist killings in Indian-administered Kashmir came on April 22, 2025, followed by fighting between India and Pakistan and a ceasefire on May 10. In the same weeks, Iran's proxies were attacking American bases and shipping, and Washington was weighing military action that might have needed Pakistan's cooperation. Pakistan's help, with that of several Arab states, was reported to matter to the June 22 U.S. strikes on Iran. Could continuing logistical help to American efforts in the Middle East explain the special treatment Pakistan is getting?
None of this means the President's favor must last, or that it should come without conditions. But the Iran angle deserved a mention.
