Pakistan has rejected a CBS News report that Iranian aircraft parked at Nur Khan Air Base near Rawalpindi were moved there to shield them from possible U.S. strikes, saying the aircraft were tied to diplomatic logistics for U.S.-Iran talks hosted in Islamabad.
In a statement Tuesday, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Iranian aircraft currently in Pakistan arrived during the ceasefire period and were used to transport diplomats, security personnel and support staff connected to the Islamabad talks. The ministry said the aircraft had “no association with any military repositioning or sheltering arrangement.”
The statement came after CBS News cited unnamed U.S. officials who said Iran had moved multiple aircraft to Nur Khan Air Base within days of President Donald Trump announcing a ceasefire with Iran in early April. CBS reported that one of the aircraft was an Iranian Air Force RC-130, a surveillance and intelligence-gathering variant of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport aircraft.
Pakistan did not deny that Iranian aircraft were present at the base. Instead, the Foreign Ministry disputed the reported purpose, saying the aircraft arrived as part of logistical arrangements connected to diplomatic engagement between Tehran and Washington.
Aircraft from both Iran and the United States arrived after the ceasefire and during the first round of Islamabad talks to transport diplomatic teams, security personnel and administrative staff, said the ministry. Some aircraft and support personnel remained in Pakistan because another round of engagement was expected, it said.
Formal talks have not yet resumed, though high-level diplomatic contacts are continuing, according to the ministry. It also said visits by Iran’s foreign minister to Islamabad were handled through the same logistical and administrative arrangements.
The CBS report said a senior Pakistani official told the outlet that Nur Khan Air Base is located in a populated urban area and that a large group of aircraft parked there “can’t be hidden from public eye.”
The report drew concern from Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who wrote on X that Pakistan’s role as a mediator would require a “complete reevaluation” if the CBS reporting was accurate.
The CBS report also said that Iran had moved civilian aircraft across the Afghan border. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid denied that claim, telling CBS News, “No, this is not true,” and saying Iran had no need to do so.
An Afghan civil aviation official gave CBS a narrower account, saying a Mahan Air jet had landed in Kabul before the fighting began and remained there after Iran closed its airspace. The official said Taliban aviation authorities later moved the aircraft to Herat, near the Iranian border, because of concern it could be caught in a possible Pakistani strike on Kabul airport. The official said that jet was the only Iranian aircraft in Afghanistan.
Pakistan has described its role in the negotiations as neutral, constructive and responsible. But the dispute over the aircraft has deepened uncertainty over the status of U.S.-Iran diplomacy.
.
A global media for the latest news, entertainment, music fashion, and more.
