Pakistan’s ‘neutral mediator’ claim questioned after Iranian aircraft allegations: Report

Pakistan allegedly allowed Iranian military aircraft, including a reconnaissance plane, to use Nur Khan Airbase during the Iran-US conflict, according to US officials cited by CBS News. Islamabad denied the claim, amid rising regional tensions involving Afghanistan, China, Iran, and the United States.

Washington: Pakistan quietly allowed Iranian military aircraft to park at its airbases during the recent conflict between Iran and the United States, despite publicly positioning itself as a diplomatic intermediary between Tehran and Washington, according to a CBS News report citing US officials familiar with the matter.

The report said Iran moved multiple aircraft, including military assets, to Pakistan shortly after US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire with Tehran in early April. The aircraft were reportedly sent to Pakistan Air Force Base Nur Khan near Rawalpindi, one of Pakistan’s most strategically important military installations.

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Among the aircraft allegedly moved was an Iranian Air Force RC-130 reconnaissance aircraft, a surveillance and intelligence-gathering version of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules tactical transport plane. The development, if confirmed, could complicate Pakistan’s delicate balancing act between its longstanding ties with the United States, its close strategic partnership with China, and its complex relationship with neighbouring Iran.

CBS News reported that US officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the national security matter.

US Central Command declined direct comment and referred the network to Pakistani and Afghan authorities. A senior Pakistani official strongly rejected the allegation. “Nur Khan base is right in the heart of (the) city, a large fleet of aircrafts parked there can’t be hidden from (the) public eye,” the official told CBS News.

The report also said Iran moved civilian aircraft into neighbouring Afghanistan after Iranian airspace was shut during the conflict. An Afghan civil aviation official told CBS News that a Mahan Air aircraft landed in Kabul shortly before the war began and remained there after Iranian airspace closed.

According to the Afghan official, Taliban authorities later shifted the aircraft from Kabul to Herat Airport near the Iranian border after Pakistan launched airstrikes around Kabul during tensions with the Taliban-led government over alleged support for Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan militants. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid denied any Iranian aircraft were being sheltered in Afghanistan. “No, that’s not true and Iran doesn’t need to do that,” he told CBS News.

The report highlighted Pakistan’s growing military dependence on China. Citing a Stockholm International Peace Research Institute study, CBS News said China supplied nearly 80 per cent of Pakistan’s major arms imports between 2020 and 2024. It said Islamabad had attempted to “navigate both sides of the crisis” by presenting itself to Washington as “a stabilizing intermediary” while avoiding actions that could alienate Tehran or Beijing, Iran’s most influential international backer.

Iran’s latest proposal to end the conflict reportedly included demands for US war reparations, recognition of Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz and the lifting of American sanctions. President Trump publicly rejected Tehran’s counteroffer as “TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE.”

Pakistan has long maintained strategic ties with both Washington and Beijing, while also sharing a sensitive border with Iran. Islamabad has frequently attempted to position itself as a regional mediator during Middle East crises. The latest allegations emerge ahead of Trump’s scheduled visit to Beijing, where discussions on Iran, trade tensions and Taiwan are expected to dominate talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.