Mark Dubowitz says Trump has ‘maximum leverage’ over Iran as ceasefire begins
Mark Dubowitz, CEO of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, analyzes President Trump’s firm Iran policy after a two-week ceasefire. He highlights the weakened state of the regime after 15 months of Trump’s administration, making it unlikely that Iran’s 10-point peace plan with “ridiculous demands” will be accepted. Dubowitz discusses the choice facing Iran’s new regime.
President Donald Trump publicly thanked what he called the “great Prime Minister and Field Marshal of Pakistan, two wonderful people!!!” mentioned. in a Truth Social post Friday praising Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan’s military leader Asim Munir.
Sharif quickly responded to X, “On behalf of the people of Pakistan, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, and on my own behalf, I express my deep appreciation for your kind and gracious words.”
The public exchange marked a notable rise for Munir, who has become one of the few foreign officials trusted by both Trump and Iran’s security establishment.
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In this photo released by the Inter Services Public Relations, Pakistan Chief of Defense Forces and Army Chief General Asim Munir, center, Pakistan Navy Chief Admiral Naveed Ashraf, left, and Pakistan Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar attend a guard of honor ceremony at the Joint Military Command Headquarters in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Monday, December 8, 2025. (Inter Services Public Relations via AP)
According to Pakistani and Iranian reports, Munir recently became the first foreign military leader to visit Iran since the latest escalation between the United States and Iran. Arriving in full military uniform, he was warmly greeted by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and held meetings with senior Iranian military officials.
Few foreign figures appear to have closer ties to both Trump and the Iranian military hierarchy.
That has raised a poignant question: How did the same man get close to both Trump and some of Iran’s most powerful commanders?
“He has been in contact with the leadership. He has been in contact with the intelligence community. He has been in contact with the IRGC,” or Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Saeed said.
According to Saeed, Munir built ties not only with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, but also with Iran’s regular army and intelligence apparatus. Saeed said Munir had long-term contact with former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a US strike in 2020, commander Hossein Salami, who was killed in an Israeli strike in June 2025, and other Iranian military figures.
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Few foreign figures appear to have closer ties to both Trump and the Iranian military hierarchy. (Iranian Presidency/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“He remains a figure internationally who has personal interactions, a personal equation in the intelligence community in Iran, in the military hierarchy in Iran, in the diplomatic corps of Iran and also on the side of the political leadership,” Saeed said.
That long relationship seems to explain why Iran welcomed him so warmly, even as he remains in direct contact with Trump and his team.
Munir’s relationship with Trump dates back to the India-Pakistan crisis of May 2025. Munir played a key role in helping to de-escalate the confrontation, and afterward Pakistan formally nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, a move widely seen by Pakistani analysts as encouraged by Munir.
Pakistani Asim Munir has become one of the few foreign officials trusted by both President Donald Trump and Iran’s security establishment, according to Pakistani analysts and officials. (Jacquelyn Martin/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Since then, Trump has repeatedly praised him. Trump has called Munir an “exceptional man,” a “great fighter” and “my favorite field marshal.”
According to Pakistani officials and media reports, the two men are now speaking directly.
“Trump has long shown a preference for strong, decisive leaders,” Rumi said. “Munir fits into that picture as a centralized authority figure who can deliver results.”
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Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi were greeted by Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Army Chief Field Marshal General Asim Munir upon their arrival at Nur Khan Air Base in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, April 11, 2026. (Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs/AP)
Rumi described Munir as “a disciplined leader who puts the institution first, with a strong emphasis on order, hierarchy and strategic clarity.”
“Unlike more publicly charismatic military figures, his style is relatively subdued, shaped by intelligence work and operational experience rather than overt political signals,” Rumi said.
Munir’s background explains both his style and his influence.
Munir studied at the Fuji School in Japan, the Command and Staff College in Quetta, the Malaysian Armed Forces College in Kuala Lumpur and the National Defense University of Pakistan, where he earned a master’s degree in philosophy in public policy and strategic security management, according to Pakistan’s Geo News. Munir was the first army chief in Pakistan to receive the Sword of Honor, the highest military award for a cadet. The outlet also described him as an avid reader, traveler and sportsman.
Munir is also a Hafiz-e-Quran, which means he has memorized the entire Quran.
As the former head of both Pakistan’s military intelligence and the Inter-Services intelligence agencies, Munir spent years overseeing Pakistan’s most sensitive regional relationships, including with Iran, Afghanistan and India.
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Vice President JD Vance shakes hands with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar in Islamabad on April 12, 2026, after talks on Iran. Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir and U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Natalie A. Baker watch as Vance prepares to board Air Force Two. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)
In 2025, following the India-Pakistan crisis, he was elevated to field marshal, the first Pakistani officer to hold this rank since former military ruler Ayub Khan.
Pakistani officials say he was also given the newly created title of chief of the armed forces later that year, further cementing his authority over the country’s military branches.
Munir rarely gives interviews, but his speeches provide clues to his worldview.
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As the former head of both Pakistan’s military intelligence and the Inter-Services intelligence agencies, Munir spent years overseeing Pakistan’s most sensitive regional relationships, including with Iran, Afghanistan and India. (Iranian Presidency/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
During the Margalla Dialogue in Islamabad in November 2024, he warned that “the absence of proper regulations for freedom of expression is leading to the deterioration of moral values in societies around the world.”
The comment reflected a broader emphasis on order, discipline and centralized authority.
Rumi said Munir operates from a “transactional, state-centric worldview rather than an ideological worldview.”
Yet critics argue that his rise has come at the expense of Pakistan’s democracy.
After becoming army chief in 2022, Munir focused heavily on domestic politics, including what critics described as a crackdown on political opposition and an unprecedented concentration of military power. according to The Guardian, which reported that key negotiations with the United States and Iran were coordinated not from Islamabad, Pakistan’s civilian capital, but from Rawalpindi, the army headquarters.
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A broken frame of Pakistani Field Marshal and Army Chief Asim Munir hangs on the wall after an attack on the Cadet College Wana, an army-affiliated school, in South Waziristan district, near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, November 13, 2025. (Aamir Qureshi/AFP via Getty Images)
Critics say this reflects a broader reality: Pakistan’s foreign policy is increasingly guided by the military rather than the elected government.
Rumi said Munir’s rise reflects “the military increasingly overshadowing the civilian leadership in Pakistan.”
As the current negotiations continue, much seems to rest on Munir. Saeed said this is because Munir has spent years building trust on both sides and is unlikely to quit now.
“Knowing our Field Marshal, and from my own personal knowledge of him, he is ruthless. He wouldn’t give up,” Saeed said.
