Among the defence equipment reportedly moved to Pakistan was an Iranian Air Force RC-130, a surveillance and intelligence-collection version of the Lockheed-manufactured C-130 Hercules tactical transport aircraft
Islamabad: Pakistan, while serving as a diplomatic bridge between Tehran and Washington, allegedly permitted Iranian military aircraft to utilise its airfields for parking after conflict erupted in the Middle East, potentially protecting them from American and Israeli air raids. Tehran also relocated some of its civilian aircraft to neighbouring Afghanistan, although it remained uncertain whether military planes were included among those flights, CBS News reported, citing sources.
Sources informed the American outlet that Tehran transferred several of its important defence assets to Pakistan Air Force Base in Nur Khan, situated just outside Rawalpindi. The strategically significant military facility, positioned near Islamabad, reportedly offered a secure refuge for Iran to safeguard its military and aviation resources while Pakistan officially facilitated truce negotiations between Tehran and Washington.
Among the defence equipment reportedly moved to Pakistan was an Iranian Air Force RC-130, a surveillance and intelligence-collection version of the Lockheed-manufactured C-130 Hercules tactical transport aircraft, the report stated. US officials familiar with the matter told CBS that the aircraft were relocated to Nur Khan base days after President Trump declared the ceasefire with Iran in early April. The US believes that the relocation of civilian and military assets to Afghanistan and Pakistan, respectively, formed part of Tehran's effort to shield some of its remaining military and aviation resources from possible American and Israeli attacks, even while officials publicly acted as mediators for de-escalation.
Report Sparks Criticism in the US
The report has sparked widespread criticism in Washington, with US lawmakers questioning Islamabad's impartiality in the mediation process. Posting on X, Lindsey Graham, a senior Republican senator and a close ally of US President Donald Trump, called for a reassessment of Pakistan's diplomatic involvement in the crisis. "If this reporting is accurate, it would require a complete re-evaluation of the role Pakistan is playing as mediator between Iran, the United States and other parties," he wrote in a post. "Given some of the prior statements by Pakistani defence officials towards Israel, I would not be surprised if this were true," Graham added.
What Pakistan And Afghanistan Said
A senior Pakistani official dismissed the claims concerning Nur Khan Air Base. They informed CBS that such allegations were implausible because the facility is located within a densely inhabited area.
"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,'' they stated.
Neighbouring Afghanistan acknowledged that an Iranian civilian aircraft belonging to Mahan Air was parked at Kabul airport temporarily during the conflict. An Afghan civil aviation official informed the American outlet that Iranian civilian aircraft landed in Kabul shortly before the conflict began and stayed parked there for some time because Iranian airspace was closed amid hostilities.
They said the same aircraft was later relocated to Herat airport near the Iranian border for security reasons after Pakistan launched strikes on Kabul in March during tensions with the Taliban-led administration over accusations of Afghan Taliban providing sanctuary to the terror group Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan.
The Afghan official added that the Mahan Air aircraft was the only Iranian plane present in the country.
Taliban's chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid also denied the presence of any Iranian aircraft in Afghanistan. "No, that's not true and Iran doesn't need to do that," he said in a statement to CBS.
Questions Over Pak's Neutrality
This is not the first occasion when questions have emerged regarding Pakistan's independent diplomatic position and its neutrality in the mediation process. Earlier, a Financial Times report indicated that while Pakistan attempted to present itself as a peacemaker, it was the White House that encouraged Islamabad to broker a temporary ceasefire with Iran. The report suggested that Islamabad was not a neutral intermediary but instead a convenient channel for the US to advance the temporary ceasefire arrangement.
Israel, America's closest Middle Eastern ally, has also questioned Islamabad's role in the peace process, expressing serious concern over expanding links between Hamas and Pakistan-based terrorist organisations, including Lashkar-e-Taiba.
The latest controversy emerged as Islamabad attempts to balance relations with both Washington and Tehran while preserving close strategic and military cooperation with China. Referring to a Stockholm International Peace Research Institute study, CBS reported that China supplied nearly 80 per cent of Pakistan's major arms imports between 2020 and 2024. The report observed that while Islamabad has attempted to position itself as a "stabilising intermediary", it has avoided actions that could alienate either Iran or China, Tehran's closest international partner.
Meanwhile, tensions between the US and Iran remained elevated, with the US rejecting the latest Iranian proposal to end the conflict. The plan reportedly included demands for US war reparations, recognition of Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz and the removal of American sanctions, according to Iran's state-run broadcaster.