Trump 'aware' of Pakistan's 2-week Iran ceasefire proposal: White House

US President Donald Trump "has been made aware" of Pakistan's recent proposal to extend his deadline for a deal with Iran by two weeks to allow further time for diplomacy, the White House told Anadolu Tuesday.

"The president has been made aware of the proposal, and a response will come," spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said in a brief statement shared with Anadolu.

The comment comes after Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif urged Trump to extend his deadline for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz by two weeks to "allow diplomacy to run its course."

Trump declined to comment on the proposal directly during a brief telephone call with Fox News reporter Jacqui Heinrich, but said he would be fully briefed on it by his team.

“I can say this - that I know him very well. He's a highly respected man, all over,” Trump said, though Heinrich did not specify to whom the US president was referring, but it was likely Sharif.

Trump further declined to comment on how he believed negotiations were going.

“I can't tell you, because right now we're in heated negotiations," he said.

The developments come hours before Trump's 8 PM Eastern Time (0000 GMT Wednesday) deadline after which time he has threatened that "a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again." The US president had previously said energy infrastructure and Iran's bridges would be targeted if his deadline for a deal was not met.

Islamabad is facilitating indirect talks between the US and Iran to end the Middle East conflict.