New Delhi, April 9 -- As President Donald Trump's 8 p.m. deadline for Iran drew closer on Monday, Pakistan swiftly stepped in to mediate between the two countries. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took social media to push for more time and de-escalation.

Trump' on Monday issued an extraordinary warning that "a whole civilization will die tonight" if his demands were not met.

Following which, Sharif, adopting Trumpian parlance, said in a post on X Tuesday afternoon that diplomacy was "progressing steadily, strongly and powerfully" and that he was requesting that Trump extend the deadline for two weeks. He then tagged Trump and other top advisers.

The move appeared to pay off, at least for a day, as Donald Trump announced just hours later ...