Pakistan faces scrutiny after reports alleged Iranian military aircraft were parked at a key Pakistani airbase during the recent US-Iran conflict, raising questions over Islamabad’s neutrality claims, strategic balancing between Washington, Beijing and Tehran, and regional security calculations ahead of major diplomatic talks.
Fresh questions have emerged over Pakistan’s claim of acting as a neutral diplomatic intermediary during the recent confrontation between Iran and the United States after a report alleged that Iranian military aircraft were quietly moved to a major Pakistani airbase during the crisis.
According to a report published by CBS News, US officials familiar with the matter claimed that Iran relocated several aircraft, including military assets, to Pakistan shortly after US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire with Tehran earlier this year.
The report stated that the aircraft were allegedly stationed at Pakistan Air Force Base Nur Khan, one of Pakistan’s most strategically significant military installations located near Rawalpindi. Among the aircraft reportedly moved was an Iranian Air Force RC-130 reconnaissance plane, a surveillance and intelligence-gathering variant of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport aircraft.
The allegations have drawn international attention because Pakistan publicly attempted to position itself as a stabilising diplomatic actor during the conflict while maintaining communication with both Tehran and Washington.
US officials cited in the report reportedly spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the issue involving national security and regional military coordination. The report added that US Central Command declined to comment directly and instead referred questions to Pakistani and Afghan authorities.
A senior Pakistani official strongly denied the allegations, insisting that the claims were implausible due to the visibility of the military base.
“Nur Khan base is right in the heart of the city, a large fleet of aircraft parked there cannot be hidden from public view,” the official reportedly told CBS News.
The controversy comes at a delicate moment for Islamabad as it attempts to balance complex geopolitical relationships with the United States, China and neighbouring Iran. Pakistan has historically maintained close military and economic ties with Washington while increasingly deepening defence cooperation with China in recent years.
The report highlighted Pakistan’s growing reliance on Chinese military equipment, citing a study by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute that found China supplied nearly 80 per cent of Pakistan’s major arms imports between 2020 and 2024.
Analysts believe the allegations could complicate Islamabad’s efforts to maintain a balanced foreign policy approach amid escalating tensions across the region. Pakistan also shares a long and sensitive border with Iran, making regional stability a major security concern for its leadership.
The report further claimed that Iran also transferred civilian aircraft into neighbouring Afghanistan after Iranian airspace was reportedly shut during the conflict period. An Afghan civil aviation official told CBS News that a Mahan Air aircraft landed in Kabul shortly before the outbreak of hostilities and remained there after Iranian airspace restrictions were imposed.
According to the Afghan official, Taliban authorities later relocated the aircraft from Kabul to Herat Airport near the Iranian border following Pakistani airstrikes conducted around Kabul during heightened tensions between Islamabad and the Taliban-led administration over alleged support for Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan militants.
However, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid denied that Afghanistan had sheltered Iranian aircraft.
“No, that’s not true and Iran does not need to do that,” Mujahid reportedly told CBS News.
The developments underline the increasingly fragile geopolitical environment surrounding South Asia and the Middle East, particularly as major powers continue competing for strategic influence in the region.
Pakistan has repeatedly attempted to present itself as a mediator during Middle East crises, leveraging its relations with Gulf nations, Iran, China and Western powers. However, the latest allegations could intensify scrutiny from Washington and its allies regarding Islamabad’s true role during the recent US-Iran standoff.
The issue is expected to gain further diplomatic relevance ahead of Trump’s scheduled visit to Beijing, where discussions involving Iran, trade disputes and Taiwan are anticipated to dominate talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Meanwhile, Iran’s latest reported proposal aimed at ending the conflict allegedly included demands for American war reparations, recognition of Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz and the lifting of US sanctions. Trump publicly rejected Tehran’s proposal, calling it “totally unacceptable.”
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The allegations surrounding the reported movement of Iranian aircraft into Pakistan and Afghanistan remain unverified independently, but they have already intensified debate over regional alliances, military coordination and the strategic calculations shaping one of the world’s most sensitive geopolitical flashpoints.
