Pakistan has come under fire as a report by CBS News alleged that the mediator in the ongoing US-Iran conflict has let Tehran use its airbases to protect them from potential strikes from Washington.
CBS News, citing U.S officials, said that Iran moved “multiple aircraft” to Pakistan’s Nur Khan Air Base shortly after U.S President Donald Trump announced the ceasefire. The aircraft allegedly included an Iranian Air Force RC-130 reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering plane.
According to the report, Pakistan was trying to act as a “stabilising intermediary” while also avoiding moves that could alienate Iran or its closest ally, China.
Senior officials from Washington have reacted to the report, questioning Pakistan’s neutrality while acting as a peace-maker between the United States and Iran.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham wrote on X, “If this reporting is accurate, it would require a complete reevaluation of the role Pakistan is playing as mediator between Iran, the United States and other parties.”
“Given some of the prior statements by Pakistani defense officials towards Israel, I would not be shocked if this were true,” he further added.
However, a senior Pakistani official dismissed the allegations and told CBS News that it was not believable as the Nur Khan Air Base is located in a densely populated region.
“Nur Khan base is right in the heart of (the) city, a large fleet of aircraft parked there can’t be hidden from (the) public eye,” said the official.
The CBS News report also claimed that Iran moved civilian aircraft to Afghanistan during the war. An Afghan civil aviation official told the outlet that an Iranian aircraft under Mahan Air landed in Kabul shortly before the war began and stayed there after Iranian airspace was shut.
The aircraft was later shifted to Herat near the Iranian borded after Pakistan launched strikes on Afghanistan, according to Afghan officials. They also said that Mahan Air was the only Iranian aircraft present in the country.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid refuted the claims, speaking to CBS News, “No, that’s not true and Iran doesn’t need to do that.”
