Good morning. As the war in Iran enters its second month, Pakistan is positioning itself as an unlikely mediator – more on that below, along with NASA’s return to the moon and B.C.’s new health care law. But first:

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At his first public briefing on the war in Iran in nearly two weeks, U.S. Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth stuck to the bellicose script. He said yesterday that America was “closer than ever before to winning” the conflict, and that U.S. troops want to “finish the mission” because “this is about legacy.” He said if Iran were wise, it would cut a deal, since it’s basically out of military options – but “in the meantime, we will negotiate with bombs.”

Other countries in the region would prefer a different approach. On Sunday, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met with diplomats from Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Egypt to strategize about bringing an end to the war. Yesterday, Dar travelled to China to release a bilateral “five-point initiative” for restoring stability in Iran. The initiative was admittedly light on details – an immediate ceasefire, the protection of civilian targets, a reopened Strait of Hormuz – and contained 10 fewer points than the U.S.’s own proposal last week to stop the fighting. Pakistan, incidentally, delivered that plan to Tehran on behalf of Washington, and has offered to host talks between the two countries in Islamabad.

Pakistan may not seem the likeliest of peace brokers. The country is currently waging a bloody war in neighbouring Afghanistan and has also been embroiled in conflict with India next door. But there’s a major factor working in Islamabad’s favour: It’s done an excellent job cozying up to U.S. President Donald Trump.

A state charm offensive

During his first stint in the Oval Office, Trump tweeted that Pakistan had given America “nothing but lies & deceit.” This time around, Islamabad has made concerted efforts to flatter the President. First, it handed over the suspect in the 2021 Kabul airport bombing that killed 13 U.S. service members, which Trump got to announce to Congress last March. Next, Pakistan credited him for securing a ceasefire in its spring conflict with India. Then it quickly nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize – you know how he feels about the Nobel Peace Prize – praising his “great strategic foresight and stellar statesmanship.”

Trump is especially enamoured with Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir, the true power behind Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Trump likes to call Munir “my favourite field marshal,” and twice hosted him for lunch at the White House last year. Back in Islamabad, Munir twice rolled out the red carpet for Zach Witkoff, the son of Steve Witkoff (Trump’s Middle East envoy) and the CEO of World Liberty Financial (Trump’s crypto venture, which has netted his family at least US$1.2-billion since 2024). In January, Munir and Zach Witkoff shook hands over a deal to incorporate crypto into Pakistan’s financial system – World Liberty’s first-ever partnership with a foreign state. A week later, Islamabad ponied up US$1-billion to sit on Trump’s Board of Peace.

Too close for comfort

Pakistan has plenty of reasons to push for an end to the war in Iran. The two countries share a 900-kilometre land border and Pakistan – home to the world’s largest population of Shia Muslims outside Iran – wants to avoid the sectarian tensions that a lengthy conflict could provoke. Islamabad also signed a mutual-defence pact with Saudi Arabia last fall, and really hopes it won’t have to jump into the war on Riyadh’s behalf. Then there’s the oil of it all: Pakistan is almost completely dependent on imported fuel coming through the Strait of Hormuz. Already, it has raised gas prices, moved schools online and turned to a four-day work week.

But it’s hard to know if Pakistan’s outreach will ultimately amount to much with Trump. Yesterday, he mostly seemed annoyed that U.S. allies hadn’t done more to come to his aid in the Gulf. And he had a suggestion for governments worried about the spiralling costs of fuel. “Build up some delayed courage, go to the Strait, and just TAKE IT,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “You’ll have to start learning how to fight for yourself. … Go get your own oil!”

If everything goes according to plan, a 2,600-tonne rocket will blast off this evening and send four astronauts all the way past the far side of the moon. Read more here about NASA’s 50-years-in-the-making lunar mission.

At home: B.C.’s new health care law comes into force today, overhauling how doctors, nurses, surgeons, dentists and many other professionals are regulated in the province.