Pakistan allowed Iranian military aircraft to park at one of its key airbases to shield them from potential US airstrikes during the recent US-Iran conflict, CBS News reported citing American officials, triggering fresh questions in Washington over Islamabad’s role as a mediator in the war.
According to the report, Iran moved multiple aircraft, including a reconnaissance and intelligence plane, to Pakistan Air Force’s Nur Khan airbase near Rawalpindi shortly after US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire in April. Tehran also reportedly parked at least one civilian aircraft in neighbouring Afghanistan after Iranian airspace was shut during the conflict.
The CBS report said the aircraft were moved as part of Tehran’s efforts to protect key military and aviation assets from possible American and Israeli strikes while Pakistan publicly positioned itself as a diplomatic intermediary between Washington and Tehran.
Among the aircraft allegedly sent to Pakistan was an Iranian Air Force RC-130, a reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering version of the Lockheed-produced C-130 Hercules tactical transport aircraft, the report said.
Reacting to the report, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham questioned Pakistan’s neutrality in the mediation process.
“If this reporting is accurate, it would require a complete reevaluation of the role Pakistan is playing as mediator between Iran, the United States and other parties,” Graham, the Senator from South Carolina, said in a post on X.
“Given some of the prior statements by Pakistani defense officials towards Israel, I would not be shocked if this were true,” Graham said.
A senior Pakistani official rejected the allegations involving Nur Khan Air Base and told CBS News that the claims were implausible given the base’s location in a densely populated area.
“Nur Khan base is right in the heart of (the) city, a large fleet of aircraft parked there can’t be hidden from (the) public eye,” the official said.
An Afghan civil aviation official confirmed to CBS News that an Iranian civilian aircraft belonging to Mahan Air had landed in Kabul shortly before the war began and remained there after Iranian airspace was closed.
The official said the aircraft was later moved to Herat airport near the Iranian border after Pakistan launched attacks on Afghanistan during tensions with the Taliban-led government over allegations that the Afghan Taliban was sheltering Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan militants.
The Afghan official added that the Mahan Air aircraft was the only Iranian plane present in Afghanistan.
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid also denied reports that Iranian aircraft were being sheltered in Afghanistan.
“No, that's not true and Iran doesn't need to do that,” he told CBS.
The controversy has intensified scrutiny over Pakistan’s diplomatic positioning during the conflict. A previous Financial Times report had suggested that Islamabad’s mediation role was encouraged by the White House and that Pakistan acted more as a communication channel than a neutral broker.
The latest allegations also come amid growing concerns among US allies, including Israel, over Pakistan’s ties in the region and its reported links with groups hostile to Israel.
CBS News noted that Pakistan has increasingly relied on China for military assistance in recent years. Citing a Stockholm International Peace Research Institute study, the report said China supplied nearly 80 per cent of Pakistan’s major arms imports between 2020 and 2024.
The report added that Islamabad has attempted to balance ties with Washington, Tehran and Beijing by presenting itself as a “stabilising intermediary” while avoiding moves that could alienate either Iran or China, Tehran’s closest international backer.
Meanwhile, tensions between Washington and Tehran remain unresolved despite the pause in fighting. According to Iran’s state-run broadcaster, Tehran’s latest proposal to end the conflict included demands for US war reparations, recognition of Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz and the lifting of American sanctions.