‘Blood on his hands,’ backlash in Pakistan over Trump’s Nobel Peace Prize nomination after Iran strikes

Tensions flared after the US launched Operation Midnight Hammer, striking three of Iran’s key nuclear sites, Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan, in a dramatic overnight assault.

The government’s recent decision to formally nominate US President Donald Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize has triggered sharp criticism from prominent Pakistani leaders and public figures. Their outrage comes just days after the United States launched precision airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, a military operation that was personally ordered by Trump.

According to The Express Tribune, Pakistani lawmakers have slammed the move, calling it 'spineless' and 'sycophantic', and urging the government to withdraw the nomination immediately.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman, chief of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F), was among the first to react. Addressing a party meeting in Murree, Rehman accused Trump of having the 'blood of Palestinians, Iraqis and Afghans on his hands' and condemned the US strikes in Iran as a 'violation of international law.'

“We want friendship with the US, but not at the cost of our sovereignty,” he said, as quoted by The Express Tribune. “If we do not stand with Iran, should we side with Israel instead?”

Rehman urged the government to revoke the nomination, stating that Pakistan should not support a leader who has triggered war rather than peace.

Former senator Mushahid Hussain echoed similar sentiments, stating in a series of posts on X that Trump had been “trapped by [Israeli PM Benjamin] Netanyahu and the Israeli war lobby”. He said this would be the “biggest blunder of Trump’s presidency” and warned that it would eventually contribute to America’s decline.

He called on the Pakistan government to “review, rescind and revoke” the Nobel Peace Prize recommendation, noting that Trump could no longer be considered a peacemaker after launching an illegal war.

Ali Muhammad Khan, a leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), was blunt in his criticism, simply posting "RECONSIDER" in all caps on X. He pointed to the ongoing US support for Israeli strikes in Gaza and the fresh attack on Iran as clear reasons why Trump should not be celebrated as a peace broker.

Author and activist Fatima Bhutto also weighed in, asking pointedly, “Will Pakistan withdraw its nomination for him to receive the Nobel Peace Prize?”

Former senator Afrasiab Khattak accused the Pakistani government of abandoning diplomatic principles. “The sycophancy adopted by [the] Pakistani ruling elite in nominating President Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize is not part of normative conduct in international diplomacy,” he wrote on X.

Tensions flared after the US launched Operation Midnight Hammer, striking three of Iran’s key nuclear sites, Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan, in a dramatic overnight assault. The operation, according to US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, was carried out to "devastate the Iranian nuclear program" and was not aimed at regime change.

Speaking at a press briefing with Air Force General Dan Caine, Hegseth said the mission was a success. “The order we received from our Commander-in-Chief was focused, it was powerful, and it was clear. We obliterated Iran’s nuclear ambitions,” he said, as reported by The Hill.

He added that no Iranian troops or civilians were targeted in the strikes.