Pakistan Secretly Helped Iran Protect Military Aircraft From Possible US Strikes, Claims US Official

Pakistan, which positioned itself as a mediator between Washington and Tehran during the recent US-Iran conflict, reportedly allowed Iranian military aircraft to park at one of its key airbases in an apparent attempt to shield them from possible American strikes, according to a CBS News report citing US officials familiar with the matter.

The development has added a fresh geopolitical dimension to the already tense standoff in West Asia, even as the fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran, in place since April 8, continues to hold. The conflict began on February 28 after coordinated US and Israeli attacks on Iran, and subsequent negotiations hosted in Pakistan failed to produce a breakthrough agreement.

Iranian Aircraft Allegedly Moved To Pakistan Airbase

According to CBS News, American officials said Iran transferred several military aircraft to Pakistan Air Force Base Nur Khan near Rawalpindi shortly after US President Donald Trump announced the ceasefire in early April.

The report stated that the aircraft movements appeared to be part of a broader Iranian strategy to protect its remaining aviation and military assets as fears of further escalation grew. Among the aircraft reportedly sent to Pakistan was an Iranian Air Force RC-130, a reconnaissance and surveillance version of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport aircraft.

US officials quoted in the report said the aircraft were parked at the strategically important Nur Khan base, a major military installation located close to Pakistan's military headquarters in Rawalpindi.

At the same time, Iran reportedly moved some civilian aircraft into neighbouring Afghanistan after Iranian airspace became inaccessible due to the conflict.

Pakistan And Taliban Deny Allegations

Pakistan strongly denied the claims surrounding the alleged sheltering of Iranian military aircraft.

A senior Pakistani official told CBS News, "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."

An Afghan civil aviation official separately confirmed that an Iranian civilian aircraft operated by Mahan Air had landed in Kabul shortly before the war began and remained there after Iranian airspace was shut down.

However, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid rejected suggestions that Iranian aircraft were being protected inside Afghanistan. He told CBS News, "No, that's not true and Iran doesn't need to do that."

Iran Rejects US Peace Proposal

The report surfaced shortly after Iran formally responded to a US-backed peace proposal intended to end the conflict.

Tehran demanded compensation for damages caused during the war and also called for an end to the US naval blockade. President Donald Trump dismissed Iran's response, calling it "totally unacceptable".

Face-to-face negotiations between Iranian and American representatives, held in Pakistan last month, had failed to produce an agreement despite Islamabad's efforts to mediate.

US Senator Calls For "Complete Reevaluation"

The claims also triggered reactions in Washington, with Republican senator Lindsey Graham suggesting that Pakistan's diplomatic role would need to be reconsidered if the allegations proved accurate.

"Given some of the prior statements by Pakistani defense officials towards Israel, I would not be shocked if this were true," Graham wrote in a post on X.

Pakistan has attempted to balance its relationships throughout the crisis by maintaining communication with both the United States and Iran, while also taking care not to damage its strategic ties with China.