CBS News, citing unnamed US officials, reports that Pakistan allowed Iranian military aircraft to park on its airbases to protect them from potential US airstrikes. The report says Tehran also moved at least one civilian airliner into neighbouring Afghanistan to shield it after regional airspace was closed.
According to the report, Iran sent “multiple aircraft,” including a reconnaissance and intelligence plane, to Pakistan’s Nur Khan airbase soon after US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire in April. The US-Iran conflict began on February 28 and has been on pause since April 8.
A senior Pakistani official quoted by CBS rejected the claims about Nur Khan, saying the base is located in the heart of the city and a large fleet could not be hidden from public view. An Afghan civil aviation official told CBS that an Iranian civilian jet operated by Mahan Air landed in Kabul shortly before the fighting began and remained parked after Iranian airspace closed; that aircraft was later moved to an airport in Herat near the Iranian border when Pakistan launched strikes in Afghanistan.
The report drew sharp criticism from Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who said on X that, if accurate, the reporting would require a full reevaluation of Pakistan’s role as a mediator between Iran, the United States and other parties. Graham added he would not be surprised if the allegations proved true given previous statements by some Pakistani defence officials about Israel.
CBS also noted Islamabad’s growing military and economic ties with Beijing. A Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) study cited in the report found China supplied around 80 percent of Pakistan’s major arms between 2020 and 2024. Observers say Pakistan has tried to present itself to Washington as a stabilizing intermediary while avoiding steps that might alienate Tehran or Pakistan’s close partner, China.
Pakistani, Afghan and US officials have offered differing accounts; independent verification of some specifics remains limited. The situation underscores the diplomatic friction and complex regional alignments that have followed the brief US‑Iran war earlier this year.
