https://arab.news/r2s86
- CBS News report claimed this week Islamabad allowed Iranian military aircraft to park at its airfields
- Pakistan says speculation appeared aimed at undermining ongoing regional peace efforts
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson on Tuesday rejected a CBS News report claiming Islamabad had “quietly allowed” Iranian military aircraft to park at its airfields to potentially shield them from American airstrikes, saying the speculation appeared aimed at undermining ongoing regional peace efforts.
CBS News published an exclusive news report on Monday, citing two unnamed US officials, who said that days after US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire with Iran in April, Tehran sent multiple aircraft to Pakistan’s Nur Khan air base in Rawalpindi. It said that among the military hardware sent by Tehran was an Iranian Air Force RC-130, a reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering variant of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules tactical transport aircraft.
“Pakistan categorically rejects the CBS News report regarding the presence of Iranian aircraft at Nur Khan Airbase as misleading and sensationalized,” the foreign office spokesperson said in a statement. “Such speculative narratives appear aimed at undermining ongoing efforts for regional stability and peace.”
The spokesperson said “a number of aircraft” from the US and Iran arrived in Pakistan following the ceasefire and during the initial round of talks between Washington and Tehran in Islamabad last month. It said these aircraft arrived to facilitate the movement of diplomatic personnel, security teams, and administrative staff associated with the process of negotiations. The spokesperson said that some aircraft and support personnel remained temporarily in Pakistan in anticipation of subsequent rounds of engagement.
He further said that while a second round of talks between both sides were not held, visits by Iranian’s foreign minister to Islamabad were facilitated through the same logistical and administrative arrangements.
“The Iranian aircraft currently parked in Pakistan arrived during the ceasefire period and bear no linkage whatsoever to any military contingency or preservation arrangement,” the spokesperson said. “Assertions suggesting otherwise are speculative, misleading, and entirely detached from the factual context.”
The statement said Islamabad has extended logistical and administrative support while maintaining transparency and regular communication with all parties.
“Pakistan remains committed to supporting all sincere efforts aimed at promoting dialogue, reducing tensions, and advancing regional and global peace, stability, and security,” the statement concluded.
Meanwhile, tensions between Iran and the US continue, with Trump saying on Monday that he is considering relaunching “Project Freedom” in the Strait of Hormuz, as both sides remain at loggerheads over a peace proposal to end the months-long conflict.
Speaking to Fox News, Trump said Washington would continue to pressure Tehran until a deal is reached, adding that Iran would eventually “surrender.”
He separately described Iran’s response to a US peace plan as a “stupid proposal” while speaking to reporters.
“The ceasefire is on massive life support, where the doctor walks in and says, ‘Sir, your loved one has approximately a one percent chance of living,’” he said.