Pakistan, April 9 -- The announcement of a two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran has brought a cautious pause to a conflict that, for 40 days, threatened to spiral into a full-scale regional war with global consequences. After weeks of US-Israeli air strikes, Iranian missile retaliation, attacks on Gulf-linked targets and repeated disruptions to international shipping lanes, the agreement has momentarily eased tensions in one of the world's most volatile regions. While the ceasefire remains fragile and limited in scope, it has nonetheless created diplomatic space that had all but disappeared amid escalating military exchanges.

The truce was brokered through intensive behind-the-scenes diplomacy led by Pakistan, a role tha...