As the precarious ceasefire it assisted in mediating between Washington and Tehran looks more and more in jeopardy, Pakistan has denied accusations that it had protected Iranian military aircraft from possible US strikes.
The statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was released on Tuesday, only hours after US President Donald Trump described Iran's most recent peace plan as "a piece of garbage" that he had not even read and declared that the month-old truce was on "massive life support."
Trump's comments came after CBS News reported on Monday that Iran has relocated several military aircraft, including an RC-130 reconnaissance plane, to Pakistan Air Force Base Nur Khan near Rawalpindi following the truce on April 8, perhaps protecting them from US attacks.
The news was described as "misleading and sensationalised" by Pakistan's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday. The ministry claimed that the aircraft had landed as part of diplomatic arrangements related to senior US and Iranian officials' April 11 discussions in Islamabad.
According to Pakistan, the base was utilised by both US and Iranian aircraft.
According to the ministry, "the Iranian aircraft currently parked in Pakistan arrived during the ceasefire period and bears no linkage whatsoever to any military contingency or preservation arrangement."
Additionally, the Foreign Ministry noted that it would be impossible to conceal any sizable foreign military presence at the site.
It stated that Pakistan has "consistently acted as an impartial, constructive, and responsible facilitator" throughout the process and that "assertions suggesting otherwise are speculative, misleading, and entirely detached from the factual context."
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Hours after the CBS article, a CNN piece questioned whether Islamabad was "aggressively conveying Trump's displeasure" and stated that some Trump administration officials thought Pakistan had been providing "a more positive version of the Iranian position with the US than what reflects reality."
Islamabad has been as straightforward with both parties as any impartial arbiter could be, according to a Pakistani official who spoke to Al Jazeera. This is because mediation demands neutrality rather than agenda-pushing.
Speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media, the official stated, "The goal is to resolve the complex, historical, highly consequential conflict rather than earning brownie points or headline diplomacy."
Trump's Republican Party colleauge, US Senator Lindsey Graham, stated on X that he "would not be shocked" if the CBS allegation turned out to be true and called for "a complete reevaluation" of Pakistan's role as a mediator.
However, analysts predicted that Islamabad's standing would not be seriously harmed by the scandal.
Pakistan has accomplished more than many had anticipated. Syed Ali Zia Jaffery, deputy director at the University of Lahore's Centre for Security, Strategy and Policy Research, told Al Jazeera that achieving a truce in a setting rife with mistrust was no easy task.
He claimed that the accusations would have little effect because Tehran and Washington both still relied on Pakistan.
Such reporting won't have any effect as long as both capitals think that Islamabad is still a reliable mediator and facilitator. Because this is a multiparty conflict, spoilers have a lot of opportunity to cloud the facts, according to Jaffery.
Meanwhile, during a visit to Beijing this week, Trump is scheduled to speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping about the Iranian crisis. Washington expects Beijing to utilise its influence with Tehran. Iran's largest strategic and economic ally is China.
Last week in Beijing, Araghchi met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who called for a diplomatic solution while reiterating China's "strategic partnership" with Iran.
Along with the top diplomats from Saudi Arabia and Egypt, two countries engaged in backchannel diplomacy, the Iranian foreign minister is anticipated to attend a conference of BRICS foreign ministers in India on Thursday and Friday.
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