Pakistan parked Iranian planes on its airbases to escape U.S. airstrikes: report

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 Pakistan Prime Minister Office via AP

In this photograph released by the Pakistan Prime Minister Office, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, left, greets Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi earlier their gathering successful Islamabad, Pakistan. File image: Pakistan Prime Minister Office via AP

Pakistan, which is playing mediator to extremity the U.S.-Iran war, allowed Iranian subject craft to parkland connected its airfields to shield them from American airstrikes, CBS News reported present quoting US officials.

The study besides claimed that Iran had besides parked its civilian craft successful neighbouring Afghanistan to support it from U.S. airstrikes.

Also work | Pakistan’s return: Mediator oregon West Asia asset?

Reacting to the report, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham called for a implicit re-evaluation of Pakistan’s relation arsenic a mediator to extremity the U.S.-Iran warfare that broke retired connected February 28 and has been enactment connected intermission since April 8.

“If this reporting is accurate, it would necessitate a implicit reevaluation of the relation Pakistan is playing arsenic mediator betwixt Iran, the United States and different parties,” Mr. Graham, the Senator from South Carolina, said successful a station connected X.

“Given immoderate of the anterior statements by Pakistani defence officials towards Israel, I would not beryllium shocked if this were true,” Mr. Graham said.

The CBS report, quoting unnamed U.S. officials, said that Iran has sent “multiple aircraft”, including a reconnaissance and quality plane, to Pakistan’s Nur Khan airbase soon aft U.S. President Donald Trump announced the ceasefire successful April.

A elder Pakistan authoritative rejected the claims involving Nur Khan Air Base, and told CBS News, that “Nur Khan basal is close successful the bosom of [the] city, a ample fleet of craft parked determination can’t beryllium hidden from [the] nationalist eye”.

An Afghan civilian aviation serviceman told CBS News that an Iranian civilian craft belonging to Mahan Air landed successful Kabul soon earlier the warfare started and remained parked aft the closure of the Iranian airspace.

The aforesaid craft was moved to an airdrome successful Herat adjacent the Iranian borderline aft Pakistan launched attacks connected Afghanistan, the Afghan officials said, adding that the Mahan Air level was the lone Iranian craft successful the country.

Pakistan’s reliance connected China for subject assistance has risen dramatically implicit the past decade. A Stockholm International Peace Research Institute survey showed China supplied astir 80%of Pakistan’s large arms betwixt 2020 and 2024, and Islamabad besides has adjacent economical ties with Beijing, the CBS News study said.

Islamabad has attempted to navigate some sides of the situation — presenting itself to Washington arsenic a stabilizing intermediary portion avoiding steps that could alienate Tehran oregon China, Iran’s astir almighty planetary backer, the CBS News report said.

Published - May 12, 2026 07:34 americium IST

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