Pakistan mediator role questioned after report of Iranian military aircraft parked on airfield

A US media report said Pakistan let Iranian military aircraft park at its airfields. The report said this was meant to protect them from American strikes. The claim drew criticism in Washington, including calls to replace Pakistan as a mediator. Pakistan’s government rejected the report and described it as misleading.

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CBS News reported that unnamed US officials linked the aircraft movements to a ceasefire. The report said the aircraft went to Nur Khan airbase after an April announcement. It said US President Donald Trump announced the ceasefire in April. The report also described separate movements of Iranian civilian aircraft into Afghanistan.

US-Iran conflict mediation and Pakistan role questioned

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham raised the report during a Senate Appropriations sub-committee hearing. Graham argued Pakistan could not act as an even-handed mediator. Graham criticised the idea of sheltering Iranian military assets. Graham also linked doubts to earlier Pakistani defence statements towards Israel.

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth did not address the claim directly at the hearing. Hegseth responded while facing questions from Graham. "I wouldnt want to get in the middle of these negotiations,\" Hegseth said. The exchange left the report’s details unconfirmed by the Defence Department.

Graham said Pakistan’s alleged actions clashed with mediation responsibilities. \"I dont trust Pakistan as far as I can throw them. If they actually do have Iranian aircraft parked in Pakistan bases to protect Iranian military assets, that tells me we should be looking maybe for somebody else to mediate. No wonder this damn thing is going nowhere,\" Graham, the Senator from South Carolina, said. \"Given some of the prior statements by Pakistani defence officials towards Israel, I would not be shocked if this were true,\" he said.

US-Iran conflict claims about Nur Khan airbase

The report said Iran sent multiple aircraft to Pakistan soon after the ceasefire was announced. It said the aircraft included a reconnaissance and intelligence plane. It named Pakistan’s Nur Khan airbase in the account. The report did not publicly identify the US officials it cited.

A senior Pakistan official denied the Nur Khan airbase claims in comments to CBS News. The official said the airfield sits in the city’s centre. The official argued that many parked aircraft would be visible. The official said such activity could not be concealed from public view.

Pakistan’s Foreign Office also issued a rejection of the report. The Foreign Office described the account as misleading. It said the Iranian aircraft in Pakistan arrived during the ceasefire period. It added that the movements followed the first round of US-Iran peace talks.

In the same statement, the Foreign Office rejected any military purpose. \"and bears no linkage to any military contingency or preservation arrangement.\" it said. The statement did not specify how many Iranian aircraft were in Pakistan. It also did not name which airfields were involved.

US-Iran conflict report on Iran aircraft in Afghanistan

CBS News also said Iran moved civilian aircraft into Afghanistan to avoid US airstrikes. An Afghan civil aviation officer told the outlet about one flight. The officer said an Iranian aircraft belonging to Mahan Air landed in Kabul. The aircraft arrived shortly before the war began.

Afghan officials said the Mahan Air plane remained parked after Iran’s airspace closed. The same officials said it later moved to an airport in Herat. Herat is close to the Iranian border. The officials said the shift happened after Pakistan launched attacks on Afghanistan.

Afghan officials said the Mahan Air aircraft was the only Iranian plane in the country. The officials did not describe other Iranian flights. The report did not say how long the aircraft stayed in Kabul. It also did not describe any direct US response to these Afghanistan claims.

US-Iran conflict backdrop and Pakistan-China defence ties

The report placed the claims within Pakistan’s wider strategic position. It said Pakistan has tried to balance relations across the crisis. It described Pakistan as presenting itself as a stabilising intermediary to Washington. It also said Pakistan has avoided steps that could upset Tehran or China.

Pakistan’s dependence on China for military support has increased in recent years. A Stockholm International Peace Research Institute study was cited in the report. It said China supplied about 80 per cent of Pakistan’s major arms between 2020 and 2024. The report also noted close Pakistan-China economic links.

The CBS News account, and the Senate exchange, kept attention on Pakistan’s mediator role. Pakistan has denied any arrangement to shield Iranian military assets. US officials have not publicly confirmed the aircraft allegations. The dispute now sits alongside wider concerns about regional alignments and the ceasefire timeline.

With inputs from PTI