Pakistan's role as a mediator between the United States and Iran has come under scrutiny following a CBS News report citing US officials that it quietly allowed Iranian military aircraft to use its airfields. The arrangement allegedly helped shield the aircraft from possible US airstrikes while Islamabad publicly positioned itself as a neutral intermediary.
According to the report, Iran moved multiple aircraft, including at least one reconnaissance variant of an RC-130 and a variant of Hercules, to Pakistan's Nur Khan Air Base near Rawalpindi shortly after a ceasefire announcement in early April. The move raised questions in Washington about Pakistan's neutrality in the ongoing US-Iran tensions.
Iran reportedly sent civilian aircraft to neighbouring Afghanistan too. According to two officials who spoke to CBS News, it remains unclear whether military aircraft were included in these flights.
An Afghan civil aviation official told CBS News that a Mahan Air civilian aircraft landed in Kabul shortly before the outbreak of hostilities. Following the subsequent closure of Iranian airspace, the vessel has remained grounded and parked at the international airport.
During Pakistan's March airstrikes on Kabul amid tensions with the Taliban over the jihadist militant group Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, Afghan authorities moved the last remaining Iranian aircraft to Herat Airport near the Iranian border for safety. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid denied any Iranian aircraft presence in Afghanistan.
Pakistan has denied the allegations, stating that such military aircraft presence would be difficult to conceal at a heavily populated and visible airbase, “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.”
The developments underline Pakistan's tightrope walk amid the US-Iran conflict. While maintaining close ties with Washington, Islamabad has also sought to steer clear of any moves that could alienate Tehran or China, Iran's key international ally and Pakistan's largest arms supplier.
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