‘Misleading’: Pakistan rejects claims of sheltering Iranian military aircraft during US conflict

Pakistan has officially dismissed claims that it allowed Iranian military aircraft to seek refuge at its airbases during Tehran’s recent conflict with the United States, labelling the reports “misleading and sensationalised”, The New Indian Express reported.

The controversy emerged following a CBS News report citing US officials who alleged that Islamabad quietly permitted Iranian assets to park on its airfields to shield them from potential American airstrikes.

According to the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, the movements occurred just days after President Trump announced a ceasefire with Iran in early April.

The report claimed that Tehran sent multiple aircraft to Pakistan Air Force Base Nur Khan, a strategically significant installation located near the garrison city of Rawalpindi. Among the hardware identified was reportedly an Iranian Air Force RC-130, a reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering variant of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules.

Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a stern response, asserting that such “speculative narratives appear aimed at undermining ongoing efforts for regional stability and peace.”

While the ministry confirmed that Iranian planes were indeed in the country, it maintained they were there strictly for diplomatic purposes related to ongoing peace negotiations. In an official statement, the ministry clarified, “The Iranian aircraft currently parked in Pakistan arrived during the ceasefire period and bear no linkage whatsoever to any military contingency or preservation arrangement. Assertions suggesting otherwise are speculative, misleading, and entirely detached from the factual context.”

The agency explained that aircraft from both the US and Iran had arrived following the ceasefire to facilitate the movement of diplomatic personnel, security teams, and administrative staff. “Although formal negotiations have not yet resumed, senior-level diplomatic exchanges have continued,” the statement added.

A senior Pakistani official, as per the report, further disputed the claims regarding Nur Khan Air Base, noting the logistical impossibility of hiding such assets. “Nur Khan base is right in the heart of [the] city, a large fleet of aircrafts parked there can’t be hidden from [the] public eye,” the official told CBS News.

According to an Afghan civil aviation officer who spoke to CBS News, an Iranian civilian aircraft belonging to Mahan Air landed in Kabul shortly before the war started. After Iranian airspace was closed, the aircraft remained parked in Kabul airport.

Later, when Pakistan began airstrikes on Kabul in March during tensions with the Taliban-led government over allegations that the Afghan Taliban was offering a safe haven for the jihadist militant group Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, the Taliban’s civil aviation authorities decided to move the aircraft to Herat Airport near the Iranian border for safety reasons, to protect it from possible bombing of Kabul Airport by Pakistani jets.

According to the aviation officer, this was the only Iranian aircraft left in Afghanistan. Taliban’s chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid denied the presence of any Iranian airplanes in Afghanistan, telling CBS News, “No, that’s not true and Iran doesn’t need to do that.”

The situation highlights Pakistan’s delicate position as a “diplomatic conduit” between Tehran and Washington. While Islamabad has attempted to present itself as a stabilising intermediary, it also maintains deep ties with Beijing. A study by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute noted that China supplied approximately 80% of Pakistan’s major arms between 2020 and 2024.

Defending its role as a mediator, the Pakistani government stated it has “extended routine logistical and administrative support where required, while maintaining full transparency and regular communication with all relevant parties.” The ministry concluded by reaffirming that “Pakistan has consistently acted as an impartial, constructive, and responsible facilitator in support of dialogue and de-escalation.”