Mediator or double agent? Pakistan secretly sheltered Iranian military planes, US officials say
The aircraft were moved to Pakistan Air Force Base Nur Khan, near Rawalpindi, in the days following Donald Trump's ceasefire announcement in early April, according to a report
- May 12, 2026,
- Updated May 12, 2026 7:35 AM IST
While Pakistan was presenting itself to the world as an honest broker between Washington and Tehran, a very different picture was taking shape on the ground. American officials have told CBS News that Iranian military planes were quietly given shelter at a key Pakistani airbase, even as Islamabad was publicly facilitating ceasefire talks between the two sides.
The aircraft were moved to Pakistan Air Force Base Nur Khan, near Rawalpindi, in the days following Donald Trump's ceasefire announcement in early April. The consignment included military assets, among them a reconnaissance aircraft belonging to the Iranian Air Force, a surveillance variant of a well-known transport plane.
Officials who spoke to CBS News, declining to be identified given the sensitivity of the matter, said the transfers appeared to be a deliberate effort by Tehran to move its remaining aviation assets out of harm's way before American forces could target them.
Washington's reaction
The report provoked a sharp response from Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who said the allegations, if verified, would fundamentally alter how the United States should view Pakistan's role in the diplomatic process. He noted that Pakistani officials had previously made statements about Israel that gave him little reason to dismiss the claims outright, and called for a thorough reassessment of Islamabad's position as a go-between.
Islamabad rejected the allegations. A senior official pointed out that Nur Khan Air Base is surrounded by a densely populated area, making it virtually impossible to conduct such activity without public knowledge.
A trail that extended to Afghanistan
Iran's efforts to protect its aviation assets apparently extended beyond Pakistan. American officials told CBS News that civilian Iranian aircraft were flown into Afghanistan before the fighting intensified, though whether military planes were part of that movement remains unclear.
An Afghan aviation official confirmed that at least one Iranian commercial aircraft touched down in Kabul before hostilities began and remained there after Iran closed its own airspace. The plane was subsequently relocated to an airport closer to the Iranian border after concerns grew that Kabul's airport might be drawn into the conflict following Pakistani military activity in Afghanistan.
The Taliban dismissed the reports entirely, with its spokesperson saying Iran had no reason to relocate its aircraft to Afghan soil.
The wider game Pakistan is playing
The allegations place Pakistan's diplomatic role under fresh scrutiny. Islamabad has spent the duration of the US-Iran conflict carefully cultivating relationships on multiple fronts, maintaining its partnership with Washington while ensuring it does not alienate Tehran.
China, which has publicly commended Pakistan's role in keeping communication channels open between the two warring parties, is both Iran's most important international ally and the dominant supplier of military equipment to Pakistan, accounting for close to four-fifths of Islamabad's major arms imports in the first half of this decade, according to SIPRI.
While Pakistan was presenting itself to the world as an honest broker between Washington and Tehran, a very different picture was taking shape on the ground. American officials have told CBS News that Iranian military planes were quietly given shelter at a key Pakistani airbase, even as Islamabad was publicly facilitating ceasefire talks between the two sides.
The aircraft were moved to Pakistan Air Force Base Nur Khan, near Rawalpindi, in the days following Donald Trump's ceasefire announcement in early April. The consignment included military assets, among them a reconnaissance aircraft belonging to the Iranian Air Force, a surveillance variant of a well-known transport plane.
Officials who spoke to CBS News, declining to be identified given the sensitivity of the matter, said the transfers appeared to be a deliberate effort by Tehran to move its remaining aviation assets out of harm's way before American forces could target them.
Washington's reaction
The report provoked a sharp response from Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who said the allegations, if verified, would fundamentally alter how the United States should view Pakistan's role in the diplomatic process. He noted that Pakistani officials had previously made statements about Israel that gave him little reason to dismiss the claims outright, and called for a thorough reassessment of Islamabad's position as a go-between.
Islamabad rejected the allegations. A senior official pointed out that Nur Khan Air Base is surrounded by a densely populated area, making it virtually impossible to conduct such activity without public knowledge.
A trail that extended to Afghanistan
Iran's efforts to protect its aviation assets apparently extended beyond Pakistan. American officials told CBS News that civilian Iranian aircraft were flown into Afghanistan before the fighting intensified, though whether military planes were part of that movement remains unclear.
An Afghan aviation official confirmed that at least one Iranian commercial aircraft touched down in Kabul before hostilities began and remained there after Iran closed its own airspace. The plane was subsequently relocated to an airport closer to the Iranian border after concerns grew that Kabul's airport might be drawn into the conflict following Pakistani military activity in Afghanistan.
The Taliban dismissed the reports entirely, with its spokesperson saying Iran had no reason to relocate its aircraft to Afghan soil.
The wider game Pakistan is playing
The allegations place Pakistan's diplomatic role under fresh scrutiny. Islamabad has spent the duration of the US-Iran conflict carefully cultivating relationships on multiple fronts, maintaining its partnership with Washington while ensuring it does not alienate Tehran.
China, which has publicly commended Pakistan's role in keeping communication channels open between the two warring parties, is both Iran's most important international ally and the dominant supplier of military equipment to Pakistan, accounting for close to four-fifths of Islamabad's major arms imports in the first half of this decade, according to SIPRI.